ST. CLARE
AND HER ORDER
ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
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ST. CLARE AND HER
ORDER
A STORY OF SEVEN CENTURIES
■ DITID IT
THE AUTHOR OF "THE ENCLOSED NUN
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Publtihed 191t
CONTEXTS
1
IBTBODUCTOBY
MM
II
13
III
TUB KILE OP THI POOR CLARES
62
IY
GUBBIO
115
V
BLESSED AGNES OP BOHXMIA ....
. 1 M
VI
CHARITA8 » LUTHBB
. 135
\II
BOMB AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS ....
. 152
VIII
ST. OOLKTTB AMD HER RBPORMB
. 171
IX
. 196
X
THE UNITED STATU AMD OAM ADA .
. 240
XI
SAINTS AND BLB8SBD8 OP THE ORDER
. MM
XII
CERTAIN CONVENTS OP NOTE ....
. 270
XIII
POBBT AMD POVERTY ...
. 303
xn
TUB DEATH OP THE POOR CLARE
Appendix : —
. 317
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE ....
. 323
TESTAMENT OP ST. CLARE
. 324
BLEBBINO OP ST. GLARE ....
, 327
MAXIMS OP ST. CLARE
. 327
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....
. 329
Index .... ...
\
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
■T. CLARE. TIBKKIO D'ABSISI .
ST. CLARB. SIMONS MBMMI
ST. FRANCIS. TIBKRIO D'aSSISI
RKFBCTOBT AT ST. DAMIANO
MONASTBRT AND CHURCH OF ST. CHIARA, ASBISI
OBOIR AT Hl'I.MNGHAM — 8HOW1HO SCREEN
MflWII COMMUNITY BOOM
QUESTING 8IHTEB8 AT OUBBIO .
MODEBN REFECTORY (bULLINQHAM >
ST. COLETTE
BEBANQON
ENCLOSURE, NOTTINO-HILL CONVBNT
ENTRANCE, BULUNOHAM CONVENT
CABLOW-CBAIOUB ABBEY, IRELAND
OMAHA MONABTBBY, U.S.A.
VAU.EYKIEI.D MONASTERY, gUEBBC
BT1SBD IBABBLLE OF FRANCE
TOMB OF ST. CLARE
ST. COSIMATO, BOMB.
MODEBN KITCHEN (BULUNOHAM)
I .'..«. hsi
13
19
N
51
73
m
124
151
172
175
m
m
•_»:<y
-'4.0
MM
HI
M
Tii
NOTK
Thanks are due to Mr. Gellatly for permission
to reproduce ibe hitherto unpublished portraits
of St. Francis and St. Glare. Thanks are also
due to various Abbesses for illustrations, and
for information, and the loan of books. To the
sisters and others who have translated and
worked on this compilation, we wish the
of St. Clare.
IX
ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
CHAPTER I
UIUHIIIIM Tory
Jcst seven hundred years ago, on the 19th of March,
1212, Chiara Scifi, a young Italian girl living in the little
town of Assisi, ran away from home and entered on a
of poverty, penance and prayer— a life which ii
negation of all ordinary human desires. She persevered
in that life for over forty years, and princesses and peasants
alike job in it. Thousands of women continued all
down the ages to embrace this extraordinary life; t!
> thousand still living it in this twentieth
century.
It is not only a life of poverty, chastity and obedience
— it is a life of absolute seclusion from the world ; for
the Poor Clare never leaves her cloister, never shows her
face to seculars again. It is a life of perpetual fasting;
Poor Clare has only one meal a day, except on Sun-
days, and she never eats meat. It is a life of constant
mortification of the body — the Poor Clare wears harsh,
clumsy clothing, goes ever barefoot, scourges herself
-tantly.
h! what is the use of it all?" asks the worldling.
Why not go on committees instead of praying? Why not
mod: coarse and cumbersome dress? Why not
change the perpetual fasting for a moderate diet suited
to the climate? — and so on, and so on. That life behind
2 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
convent walls seems cruel and useless and miserable to
many outside.
But there is this to be said ; that for those inside the
life of the world appears still more cruel and useless and
miserable. To play at power by discussing trifles on
committee ; to modify your dress constantly at the orders
of your dressmaker ; to change your diet constantly at the
orders of your doctor — where is freedom and opportunity
for the inner life if the mind is thus continually nagged
by worldly details?
And from an impartial point of view there is as much
hardship and absurdity in going with bare arms to dance
at midnight, as in going with bare feet to prayer at
midnight.
Surely even to the most worldly there come times
when the restless life of society seems some mad dream —
too cruel to be true. That there should be corners in
wheat and deaths from starvation ; that hundreds of infants
should be born only to die ; that an earthquake should
swallow up just and unjust alike : these conundrums must
come before us all sometimes, and where for the world-
ling is the answer?
A recent writer, who was thrown into prison by our
social system and given time to think, wrote as follows :
"I am conscious now that behind all this beauty there is
some spirit hidden of which the painted forms and shapes
are but modes and manifestations, and it is with this spirit
that I desire to become in harmony. I have grown tired
of articulate utterances of men and things."
And a modern poet says —
"Strange the world about me lies,
Never yet familiar grown —
Still disturbs me with surprise,
Haunts me like a face half known.
In this house with starry dome,
Floored with gem-like plains and seas,
Shall I never feel at home,
Never wholly feel at ease?"
INTRODUCTORY 3
Poet* and philosophers and the religions have always
had this feeling of the unreality of earthly things ; of the
v of spiritual things. There will always be some to
whom chairs and tables and trees and gems are not real,
to whom heaven and the angels and the saints and
God are real. And one must live according to one's belief
—must enter the path to which one is called. We shall
hear later on of a nun who always kissed the walls of
her cell when she entered — so dear to her was her
| risonment " ; we shall bear of another who was de-
a thirst for suffering. These things may
us to understand the world-strangenees of toe Poor
Clare.
is the spiritual kingdoms that are real enough to
remain. Look back at the age of the great Emperor and
Stoic. Marcus Aurclius, who persecuted the humble Chris-
tian sect. Bead his meditations— so reasonable, so true,
so excellent ; see bis firm and wise founding of the Roman
ire. Look at the handful of semi-barbarians who
■io same time were worshipping in the catacombs,
rude ritual, their primitive wall-paintings, their
illogical cult. Which would the worldly man say would
last — the philosophy and empire of Marcus Aurelius, or
the philosophy and temples of the Christians? Certainly
all material power and earthly knowledge waa with that
Emperor — but it is the gaudy churches of the Christians
that fill Rome to-day, it is the philosophy of the Christians
that spreads all over the world— only repressed in one
spot to burst out more hotly in another.
s an extraordinary phenomenon : is it nothing more?
The key lies in the fact that Marcus Aurelius did not
appeal to the soul, only to the intellect. If the intellect
were supreme, then would Aurelius have conquered ; but
since the soul exists — in spite of the materialist — it is the
Galilean who has conquered.
Nearly every convent of Poor Claret baa certain small
b a
4 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
regulations and ways peculiar to itself, but the following
orarium may be taken as typical.
5 a.m. Rise. Way of the Cross and meditation.
6.0. Prime and Tierce.
6.30. Litany (Postulants and novices and externs do
their cells). Sick have cup of tea.
7.0. Mass. Communion. Thanksgiving.
8.0. Frustulum— a mug of tea and piece of dry bread ,
eaten standing.
8.30. Choir nuns do their cells ; others wash up, etc.
9.0. Sext and nones.
9.30. Occupations — or ordered duties, such as care of
the Sanctuary, etc.
11.30. Assembly in choir; silent prayer; to refectory in
procession.
11.45. Dinner; a typical meal is given as consisting of
potatoes with onion sauce, followed by milk
pudding and stewed fruit. During the meal
there is reading, the book being handed round
and each nun reading a chapter. The book
is generally the Lives of Saints. Back to
choir in procession for grace or prayer.
12.30. Half-hour of free time.
1 p.m. "Obediences" or "occupations."
2.30. Vespers. Office of the Dead.
3.0. Obediences.
5 to 6. Meditation in choir.
6.0. Collation ; consisting of tea or cocoa and dry
bread. On Feasts there is butter or jam.
6.30. Compline. Night prayers.
7.30. Silent bell. Nuns go to their cells, each taking
up a can of water to wash with. They sleep
on a sloping wooden couch, with one square
hard pillow : they never lie flat down. The
nuns sleep in their habit; the novices sleep
in tunic, with kerchief and wimple of cotton
(tile day ones are of linen).
IN 5
11 H Rue.
ught. Matins, followed by LiUny and prayers,
and. for the pro/eased, an hour's meditation.
2.0 p.m. Return to cells for sleep.
ice a week there is a brief "recreation,'* when con-
versation is allowed.
re. for the materialist, is the whole story of the
f a Poor Clare. Day in, day oat. for year after year,
she obsenres some such tune-table, with a rare break and
feast when there happens to be a jubilee. Also there is
the chance that any day soldiers or police may appear,
and (dangerous creature that she is!) throw her forth
tleas on the world, without giving her rhyme or
reason for this arbitrary taking possession of a peaceful
people's home 1 This is going on in France and Italy to-
on the 10th of October. 1911, the Poor Clares of
Nantes were suddenly expelled from their convent ; in
December 1909 the nana of St. Cosimata in Borne were
told that they must turn out of their ancient home.
t persecutions only lead to perseverance and persist-
ence in these holy women, and they move patiently into
some other spot and wait till they be recalled. What was
ennyson wrote of the Parisians?—
'Why ehsagt las talks of roar s
Ton took! you'll vsat them ail
And it has always so far happened that the country that
lied the Poor Clares has in a few years begged them
to return.
at the nun is little better than a prisoner, and is ever
craving to return to the world, and that her privations
snd austerities make her miserable, is the theory held
by many outsiders. If only they could bear the laughter
when the Clares play games on Christmas Day ! There is
no such excellent preparation for a feast and for fun, than
the fasting and silence of Advent.
6 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Or how about the story of the Jubilee of Charitas,
Abbess of Nuremburg, in 1529? Sister Catherine, her
niece, writes to her father a joyful account of it : "We
conducted the Rev. Mother to the refectory, and because
of the occasion she allowed all the sisters to sing as much
as they pleased. Our friends had not been mean, but had
furnished us with good wine, and the Rev. Mother gave
a generous helping to all. Towards evening we all
danced, and Mother Apollonia Fucherin, who has been
here fifty-seven years, danced with me, and in the most
sprightly manner too ! "
If outsiders are to be shocked, it is better they should
hold up hands of horror over this innocent gaiety on a
great occasion than over that daily routine of prayer and
fasting which covers the spiritual life of the sisters, and
which is too holy to be dwelt on here.
But it must never be forgotten that the spiritual life is
not devoid of adventures and romances. Here is a little
story that begins in Bruges and ends in London.
Sister Margaret was a young religious at Bruges, who
was noted for her equitable and cheerful temper, and
great affection and charity. She had had difficulty in
persuading her father to let her enter the convent : he
would give his consent, and then when the day of parting
came near, withdraw it again. But at last Sister Mar-
garet's cheerful patience was rewarded, and she found her
soul's desire. Her own difficulties in following her
vocation made her very sympathetic to others ; especially
she prayed for a young man of noble family who desired
to become a Jesuit, but could not gain his parents' con-
sent. On the vigil of St. Joseph 1842 Mother Mary
Dominie specially asked the community to once more
make earnest prayer for this young man, and Sister
Margaret, striking the table with her hand, cried —
"We will pray so fervently to-night, we will carry
heaven by assault!"
And truly she chanted the office with an extraordinary
INTR0DUCT01 7
fervour, and passed the whole hour of meditation in s very
furore of prayer. After the meditation, aba paaaad swift 1 y
upstairs in advance of the others and went to her couch.
Suddenly her sisters heard a cry. They want to the cell ;
Sister Margaret was dead.
8ister Mary Joseph, a religious noted for holiness
and simplicity, mtanej *adi> lo ssa tktk hi l»« r hour
of watching. 8he wept for the young nun who had pissed
away without the last sacraments; she waa bewildered,
and sought indulgences by prayer for the soul of Sister
Margaret. Aa she prayed she had a sweet brief vision
of a radiant Madonna leading the soul of Margaret on
high. Sister Mary Joseph waa filled with joy ; but doubts
supervened. Had she seen a reality? Had she possibly
been deceived by a dream? Humbly she implored our
Lord to give her some sign that the vision waa real. But
none came. Her time for prayer waa passing ; she could
only plead once more —
"Obedience calls me from here, O God. I must go;
and will you leave me in this bitter doubt?"
There was no answer : she rose, and obedient to her
rule she left the choir. Directly she stepped without she
suddenly saw the whole cloister illuminated with a bril-
liant, unnatural light— brighter even than mid-day; it
lasted several seconds, so that she could not be deceived ;
than the black night fell down once more. Oh, bow she
biases d God 1 How full of supreme joy waa that humble
sister's heart 1 The great God had stooped to relieve her
little fears 1 The very next day the young noble came
to say that all difficulties had suddenly faded from his
path ; his parents had become amenable ; he waa even
then on his way to enter the noviciate. He attributed
this entirely to the prayers of nuns, especially to those of
Metal Maffaaai
And do you doubt that the nuns were fully assured thst
Siater Margaret bad gained this grace at the cost of her
own life? Put it quite materially, if you like, and call
8 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
it heart disease following on religious excitement and the
swift mounting of the stairs. It is none the less true
that her life was given for another, that she followed her
high adventure to the death, even like any knight of
old.
Sister Mary Joseph was sent later to London as vicaress,
and here also she could feel herself very near our Lord.
She had often prayed that her soul might be purified
by earthly suffering, so that after death she should not
be long deprived of the Beatific Vision. God granted her
request ; she was struck with a slow and painful illness.
At last, in 1872, on Holy Thursday, she seemed scarcely
able to draw another breath.
" Mother Vicaress, I think the good Lord will come and
fetch you to-day," said the abbess.
"Oh no, Mother Abbess," she replied, "not till
Saturday."
And in truth her agony was drawn out till then.
At the moment of her death all of the community were
gathered round her, and they suddenly saw her trans-
figured. She raised her eyes towards the head of her bed
with an air of joyous surprise impossible to describe,
as though she saw some ravishing vision, and at the same
time she gave up her soul to God, saying —
" Venez, Marie, Venez ! "
Those who were present at the scene say they can
never forget that transport of joy, which seemed suddenly
to obliterate from her face all the traces of her past terrible
sufferings.
There is a little book, The Contemplative Life, written
by a Carthusian monk, and published by the Angelus
Co., of Norwood, which describes the life of the Trappists,
Poor Clares and others, and which makes clear the sweet-
and satisfaction of the life of the cloister. It scarcely
worth while to quote it here, however, for we hope
that those who read the following pages will easily be
convinced that there is no freedom that exceeds the free-
INTR0DUCT01. I
dom of the cloister, no joy that exceeds the ecstasy of
prayer, no love more perfervid — more supreme — than the
Poor Clares' love of Jesus Christ.
I to turn to more worldly things, sad try end give
time of the numerical history of the Order.
/apfel's Handbook of the Francises* Ofden, it ia
stated that there wen seventy convent* of Poor Ladies
about the time of the death of St. Clare, the number of
inmates varying from twenty to one hundred. The
Order had already taken firm root in Spain, France and
Germany, and in the next decade it spread all over
Europe, even to Cyprus and Palestine. In 1384 there
were 404 convents, of which 261 were in Italy. At the
end of th* fuiirUi nth eciitury tlun ■« aUmt UjM)
Clares.
At the beginning of the fifteenth century many com-
plaints were made of the lax lie life of the Order,
and Innocent VII wished to make a reform. He altered
particulars of the election of abbess, etc., but it was not
till William of Caaale was General that any great change
was brought about, largely through the efforts of St.
Colette. At the end of the fifteenth century there were
Poor Clare Colettines in most of the large towns of France
and Belgium. They were respected everywhere for the
strictness of their life.
Few exact facts are known of the spread of the Order
from the fifteenth century. We only know they increased
in the European countries and spread to America —
especially South America. In 1587, after the Reformation
had destroyed many convents, there were still six hundred
nouses. Then the Order again grew, and seems in 1680
to have reached its highest point of 925 convents, enclos-
ing 34,100 nuns. (It appears that some houses of strict
tertiaries are included in this total.) The above were all
under the General of the Order. If one can believe the
chronicles of the time, there were 70,000 sisters, counting
those under the bishops.
10 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
From the end of the seventeenth century the number
of nuns decreased, though the number of convents still
increased. The French Revolution and the later secular-
ization destroyed the growth of the Order, except in Spain.
Still in the nineteenth century it recovered past all
expectation ; in 1907 there were 518 convents and 10,204
eisters. This is counting in the Conceptionist houses, of
which there are in Spain 80, in South America 5 and in
Belgium 3.
So far according to Holzapfel.
In 1895 Mgr. Ricard published at Paris a life of St.
Clare in which he gave, so far as he could ascertain, a
list of all the monasteries of Poor Clares throughout the
world. On the 1st of January, 1894, according to this list,
there were then in Spain over 100 convents, Italy 83,
France 47, Belgium 29, England 7, Ireland 7, United
States 4, Germany 4, Austria 2, Syria 2, Philippines 1,
Canaries 1, Portugal 1 — giving a total of 288 monasteries
enumerated by name. The list is obviously incomplete,
bat it is more detailed than Holzapfel.
So far as we have been able to ascertain the state
of affairs on the 1st of January, 1912, there were in
Belgium 33 convents : Malonne near Namur, Mons,
Quietrain, Arlon, Wavre, Renaix, Lambermont, Hasselb,
and Boon near Antwerp, which do not appear on Mgr.
Ricard 's list. Many of these are French foundations of
exiled Clares. The older convents are Ghent, Bruges,
Brussels, Louvain, Antwerp, Lierre, M alines, Turnhout,
Courtray, Newport, Ostend, Roulers, Ypres, Alost, Ecloo,
Grammont, Lokeren, St. Nicholas, Termonde, Beaumont,
Enghien, Tournai, Tongres, and St. Trond.
In France, we, of course, have to mark a decrease, with
great astonishment that so many of the Poor Clares still
manage to remain at their posts of prayer. Even in the
heart of Paris, in the Impasse de Saxe, they still pursue
their tranquil lives, though the Carmelites and other
Orders who used to be their neighbours have gone. It
INTHODI V 11
i* the power of poverty — the freedom from
It is scarcely worth while to torn oat Poor Clares, who
have no gold or silver candlesticks ! The 1912 list gives
rench convent* against 47 in the 1904 list. These
31 are : Be" tiers, Betatron, Perpignon, Millau, Gour~
don, St. Omet, A title, Poligny, Le Pay, A miens.
Arras, Grenoble, Paris, Pironne, Cambrai, Montbrison,
m /.yon, Bastta (Conic*), Romans, Lavour,
Valence, Crest, Mur-dc Barret, Orihet, Lourdes, Paray-
U-Monial, Hennes, V aisles- Bains, Masamet, and Men-
tons. The following are the fourteen names of those
that are on Mgr. Ricard's list, and which nave been
suppressed or have removed: Bordeaux, Ptrsegueux,
Marseilles, Anrillac, Nantes, Lille, Toulouse, Roubem,
EtianAeS'Bains , Aix, Lorgues, Versailles, Chatesmroux,
and Lanouielle.
Mgr. Ricard's list for Enolaxd gives 7 names; to
which we have now to add 3 in England and 1 in Scot-
land, making a total of 11. Curiously enough all the brer
foundations are at places beginning with L !— Liberton
(near Edinburgh), Liverpool. Lynton and Lutterworth.
To the 7 names in Ireland given by Mgr. Ricard, we
have to add Carlow and Donnybrook : making a total of 9.
In North America we have to add the names of Boston
and Evansville, making 6 for the United States; and
Valleyfield and one other in Canada, mounting up to a
total of 8.
From other countries we have been unable to get exact
figures— the Poor Clares shun publicity— so that those
given must be taken as approximate. The Order is
numerous in Spain (though the Government has confis-
cated some convents) and South America; decreases
slowly in Austria and Italy ; lingers in Germany, and is
expelled (for the moment) from Portugal. It has ever
been thus with the Order—constant fluctuations. It is
most interesting to watch its growth in the new countries
like the Qnitod States.
12 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
However obvious it may be that it is not desirable for
large numbers to enter contemplative Orders, it is equally
obvious that there ever has been, and ever will be, a
small number who can in that life alone find happiness and
outlet for their spiritual energies.
NUMERICAL POSITION OF THE ORDER, JAN. 1, 1912.
forNTKY
England
Scotland .
Ireland
United States
Canada
France
Belgium
Spain
Peru .
Mexico
Ecuador
Bolivia
Columbia .
Germany .
Austria
Palestine .
Dalmatia .
Ital
Ho!
lLn.l
No. OF
No. or
Houses
Inmates
9
228
1
14
9
277
6
173
2
34
31
742
33
851
247
5500 (about)
1
34 ,
14
200 ,
5
150 ,
1
20 ,
5
136 ,
4
140 ,
4
150 ,
2
54 ,
1
15 ,
109
1800 ,
4
112 ,
488
10,630
(Allowing for differences as to inclusion of Conceptionists, etc., it is
possible to safely state that the Order numbers about 500 houses, with
about 10,600 inmates.)
\ R I .
M Mcmml.)
II
LIKE OF ST. CLAM
Clare wm born in Aaaist, 16th of July, 1194. Her
though a email town, wh one of the most
ancient in L'mbria, and it probably preserves to-day much
the same aspect it had in the thirteenth century. It i>
because these small, walled- in towns have changed so
and because the ideal of St. Francia and 8t. Clare
has been kept intact by their followers, that we are able
to this day to picture so clearly to ourselves the bright
and beautiful story of Clare. Prof. W. E. Collins, when
presiding st the first general meeting of the International
Society of Franciscan Studies, said : "There is more con-
temporary, or nearly contemporary, literature about St.
Francis than about any other man of the Middle Ages,
unless it be Becket." And all this literature deals also
with Clare, whose life and mission were worked out in
union with St. Francis ; and we can read her letters and
her rule, go and see the dormitory where she slept and
the garden she tended, and put to scorn those niggling
<)in I .biers who seek to throw doubts and detractions on
every life which rises shove the normal level.
Clare's ancestors were of noble descent : her mother,
Ortolana, was of the house of Fiume, Counts of Sterpeto ;
and this family is still existing, and retains their here-
ditary castle near Petrignano. When in a library in
Assist in 1911 I picked up a life of "La Beats Ortolana,"
and found with interest it had been presented in 1904 by
Conte a Fiume— the present representative of her family.
<e delightful links seem to bold us very near to Clare,
is
14 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
so that these seven hundred years slip away, and one
almost feels as though writing of a contemporary.
Ortolana married Count Favorino of Sassorosso— a castle
on the slopes of Monte Subasio, near Assisi— and they
had five children : Don Boso, Penenda, Clare, Agnes and
Beatrix. They lived in a palace in Assisi, part of which
can still be seen. Ortolana was of noted piety; both
Wadding and Joseph of Madrid state that she went on
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, no light undertaking in
those days, and Thomas of Celano tells us that when in
prayer shortly before Clare's birth she heard a voice say-
ing to her : "Fear not, Ortolana ; thou shalt safely bring
forth a light which shall enlighten the whole world
clearly." It was because of the last word of the prophecy
that Clare received her name — a name of which we have
no previous example. She was baptized in the font at
the cathedral of St. Rufino, where Francis had been
baptized some twelve years previously — that font which
can still be seen, and in which all the children of Assisi
are still baptized.
The official biographer of St. Clare, Thomas of Celano,
thus speaks of her early years —
" 8he learnt with docility the lessons her mother taught
her. . . . Her hands were gladly opened to the poor, and
out of the goods which abounded in her house she supplied
the wants of many. . . . She loved the practice of prayer,
and so often experienced its pleasant fragrance that little
by little she attained to contemplation ; and in that she
had no beads on which to count her prayers she used little
heaps of stones, and thus made her devotions in orderly
manner. . . . She wore a small hair shirt hidden under
her robes, thus conforming to the world outwardly and to
Christ inwardly. And when her family would that she
should marry she would in nowise consent, desiring to
devote her virginity to our Lord." And Loccatelli in his
Life states : " Her purity was without blemish , and
showed itself in her rare and imperturbable joyousness.
LIFE OF ST. CLARE 15
It was noticed that her only recreation was to gather
flowers, weave ribands of chaplete, and otherwise adorn
mages of the Bleated Virgin and of Jeans Christ."
Obv msly the tradition is of a gay and good child, trained
by i. mother, and growing steadily in grace. She
musv Jso have been in sympathy with her sisters, for the
younger ones, Agnes and Beatrice, later followed her
the cloister. The elder sister, Penenda, married, so
did the only brother ; but some of their children walked in
Clare's footsteps, and we shall find the abbess receiving
her aJSOM M novices.
And while Clare was growing up in girlhood, Francis
was growing up in manhood. She most often have heard
of him—probably often seen him, for they moved in the
same rank of life. First she would hear of the gay young
spark who spent too much of his father's money, who was
i elected master of the revels by the other youths of
the town, who eagerly joined in the war on Perugia;
then she would hear that tale of helping the poor priest
to build up his ruined church— of spending his father's
money, not in rioting, but in almsgiving ; and finally of
that dramatic scene outside St. Rufino when the youth
finally stripped himself of the very garments he wore, and
forsook father and mother to follow Christ in evangelical
poverty. It was enough to fire any girl's imagination.
Here was no wearing of a hair shirt under a silk robe,
no giving away of the crumbs from a rich table— but
absolutely a following of Christ's command to forsake all
and follow Him. Dressed in a rode garment of sackcloth
tied round his waist with a rope, Francis was nursing
lepers in the wretched huts on the plain below Assisi.
And already other young men bad joined him, including
no Scifi, a cousin of Clare's. When they came up
into the town the small boys stoned them and jeered at
them— the descendants of the same small boys still stone
and deride in Assisi any one who does not conform to the
customs of the day.
16 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
In the Lent of 1212— just seven hundred years ago—
Francis was preaching in the church of San Giorgio. We
all know those Lenten sermons in Italy— the chosen
preacher, the great dim church, the crowds of standing
men and sitting women ; the gradual working up towards
Holy Week, and the marvellous representation of the
Passion. Clare attended those sermons, and wept. Aided
by her aunt, Bianca Guelfucci, Clare had audience with
Francis, and told him of her spiritual aspirations, of her
desire to embrace the life of poverty and prayer, to for-
sake all for Christ. Francis desired to put her to the
proof, and bade her beg for bread from door to door at
Assisi. Dressed as a mendicant, Clare fulfilled this order
— she was even then of the brave and persistent race of
those who not only aspire but obtain. All through her
life she showed the same calm courage and persistence ;
she was not to be daunted or turned aside.
When, in 1207, Francis was helping to build the little
wayside church of St. Damiano — half-way between the
leper huts and Assisi — he had called out to the passers-
by : "Come and help me, for here you shall see flourish a
convent of poor ladies, whose holy life and reputation
shall redound to the credit of our Heavenly Father and
the kingdom of Christ." This prediction probably came
back to him ; certainly he accepted Clare as his disciple in
the life of poverty and Gospel simplicity, and arranged
for her to come to the Portiuncula on the night of Palm
Sunday, and there take the vows. It has been so in the
material as well as in the spiritual life, that the man and
the woman were needed for the development of the ideal.
Witness Pericles and Aspasia, Augustine and Monica,
Socrates and Diotima, Jerome and Paula, Benedict and
Scholastics, Francis and Clare.
And yet Canon Knox Little has written a life of Francis
in which he never even mentions Clare !
Clare was now eighteen years of age— which is not
young in Italy— and doubtless the question of her mar-
LIFE OF ST. i LAI II
riage was being pressed upon ber. Her father was a man
of arms, and his brothers, Monaldo and Paolo, we are
had a " warlike i I'mbria was torn by internal
conflicts and strife, and religion was only just recovering
degradations of the twelfth century. Turn to
:anke, to Froude or Dom Gasquet, they all
admit that the papacy before the election of Innocent
in 1 198 bad fallen into a very bad way. " By the acquiai-
and, in some respects, the enjoyment of immense
3, the ancient monastic orders had forfeited much of
! ublic esteem/' says Hall am ; and Fleury aaya that
this great wealth was the cause of much relaxation of
discipline. To this worldly period belonged Count
Favorino. But let us bear the historians as to the period
Francis and Clare belonged :—" The noonday of
papal dominion extends from the pontificate of Innocent
III inclusively to that of Boniface VIII The
institution of the mendicant orders, amongst other
cumstsnces, principally contributed to the aggrandisement
ome," states Hallam. "These new preachers were
received with astonishing approbation by the laity, whose
religious zeal usually depends a good deal upon their
ion of the sincerity and disinterestedness of I
pastors."
So there stood Clare between these two spirits : Count
Favorino, her father, ambitious, wealthy and warlike, and
of the world ; a man of about fifty, and one by no mesas
to be lightly thwarted. On the other side was Francis,
aged about thirty, who for three years had been under
vows, who had renounced the world and wealth for the
folly of the Cross. We know from his Rule what portions
of the Gospel Francis put foremost, what words would
be ringing in the ears of Clare : "If thou wilt be ptl
go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven : and come and follow Me."
my man come to Me and leave not his father and
mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters,
18 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."
"And call no man your father on earth, for one is your
Father which is in heaven." "I come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother."
Palm Sunday on that year 1212 fell on the 18th of
March, a date ever dear to the Poor Clares down these
seven hundred years. It is one of the feasts of Holy
Church most travellers have seen in Italy : have seen the
sheaves of grey olive boughs carried into the church ;
have seen the Lenten mourning put aside for the day,
whilst the palms are waved and the Church cries :
" Hosanna to the Son of David ! "
Clare was at Mass at the cathedral with her family,
" adorned and resplendent amongst the other ladies. And
it happened, as it were a noteworthy presage, that when
the rest went forward to receive their palms that Clare
stayed silent and absorbed in her place. Whereupon the
Bishop came down to her and put the palm in her hand."
She had need of prayer in the impasse in which she found
herself ; and the palm was only to be hers after forty years
of striving. But she was no creature of doubt and hesita-
tion ; how could she doubt the Gospel story of Christ,
when here in Assisi was Francis literally living the Gospel
life — taking no thought for the morrow, and blessing those
that cursed? It would be easy to believe in Christ if we
could see Christians living the Christ life.
Like the early disciples, Clare had heard the call,
"Come, follow Me," and like them she left all and
followed.
Shortly after midnight, with her aunt as companion,
she made her way down a back staircase and out through
a disused door ; through the unlit streets, under the great
arched gateway in the city walls, and then across two miles
of olive groves she fled that chill spring night. This was
the second test of Clare's courage ; think of it, ye modern
women, who are so proud of your little deeds of to-day.
\
•
ST. FRANCIS
(Tiberio D'Asslsi.)
Lin: 01 CLARB i»
M the 19th of March, 1911, we would have pined
>une way before the dawn, in order to try and taste
a feare and strength, we found the path impass-
on account of swollen streams.
I the I' la down on the
■
office the brothers, with Francis at their head, went forth
to meet her, and escorted her into that humble sanctuary
io cradle of the Franciscan Order.
and divested herself of her worldly
robe, to put on a sack-like garment tied round the waist
e ; and there Francis cut off her beautiful hair
and threw a black, obliterating veil over the shorn head.
Chiara Soft waa dead to the world.
Francis knew it waa necessary to place Clare at once
in a place of safety, so he and his companions took her
iolo con iienedictine nuns, about two
miles off on the plain. The remains of this little walled-in
cloister with its avenue of cypresses yet exist, but it is
deserted and forgotten. Here, on Holy Monday, her rela-
tions traced and followed her, and tried by threats and
arguments to secure her return. Clare waa firm; the
vows were taken, she could not turn back. At last Count
Favorino got angry and tried to use force ; Clare clung on
to the altar with one hand, whilst with the other she
threw back her veil and showed her shorn head. With
groans and tears her relations turned and went.
Veek passed, and then the attacks began again ;
it is said that at this time Clare told her mother not to
weep, for she should certainly die in her daughter's arms
—a prophecy that came true, for Ortolana, when a widow,
joined the Poor Clares, and died at St. Damiano seven
re Clare. But these scenes did not conduce
to the spiritual calm of either Clare or the nuns, her
hostesses; so one day Francis and the « I ra Ber-
nardo, lately a magistrate and man of dignity and wealth
in Assisi, came and fetched Clare away to a lom-l\ lil
oa
20 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
convent on the side of Mount Subasio called St. Angelo
in Panso.
Clare had left behind her her younger sister, Agnes,
aged fourteen, whom she loved devotedly, and with whom
she had grown up in sympathy and affection. Probably
she had felt scruples about telling Agnes of her intended
flight and vows ; but now she had no scruples in praying
God that Agnes should taste of the sweetness of the
cloister and forsake the world, as she had done. And a
fortnight after Clare had entered the convent of St. Angelo
Agnes announced to her parents that she was going forth
to join her sister, and should not return to the paternal
roof. The anger of Count Favorino was rekindled, and
a family council was hastily summoned. The citizens of
Assisi must indeed have been astonished : what madness
was it that was leading young women and old men alike
to forsake their noble palaces and beautiful town for the
mud huts on the plains? What was going to be the end
of the movement inaugurated by that wild son of
Bernardone's?
While the family talked Agnes fled, and Clare received
her and led her to the altar, and with loving words offered
her to the Lord. Close on her footsteps came her uncle,
Count Monaldo, and twelve men of arms ; he was a fierce
and resolute man, and to him had the family entrusted
the enterprise of rescuing Agnes. Strange, this gentle
young girl showed herself as inflexible as Clare had done ;
she attended to neither threats nor entreaties, and at last
the warrior's rage blazed forth, and he commanded his
soldiers to seize her and bring her along by force. They
dragged and pushed their victim down the mountain path
with such violence that the rocks and stones were marked
with a line of blood, and Agnes, in her agony, cried :
"Clare, help me! Help me, my sister, that I be not
taken away from Jesus."
Torn by these cries, Clare raised her eyes to heaven and
prayed for succour — and again her prayers were heard,
LIFE OF ST. ( 1- MM I]
•iee became so heavy in the anus of
these aol it they could not lift her. They called
some peasants who were tending the vines to come and
m, but neither could they move that frail body.
must have fed on lead ! " cried one of them. Then
I Monaldo raised his sword to strike the girl, but a
n pain shot through his arm, leaving it powerless,
his sword dropped to the ground. The terrified
soldiers fled, and Clare, running down, raised and
embraced her sister, and led her back within the convent
to give thanks to God. A few days later Francis came
m itli some of his companions, and gave Agnes the habit
received her vows. So far Clare had been accepting
the hospitality of the Benedictine nuns, but the central
idea of Francis's mission was to go back to Gospel sini-
ry— especially to return to the absolute freedom from
personal possonsinnn of the first Apostles; and this was
not possible under the elaborate and stately Benedictine
of the most learned Order of the Church. It was
absolutely necessary that those women who desired to
follow the Franciscan ideal should bsve a cloister of their
own ; so Francis placed Clare and Agnes at the little
ltage of St. Damiano, and there other of the noble
damsels of Assisi soon joined them, and there Clare lived
till her death.
San Damiano ! Birthplace of the Order of Poor Clares
shrine of saints. Little grey sanctuary set among
the olives below the walls of Assisi— one of the most
prayer-compelling, most wondrous spots on earth ! For
time seems to have passed unheeded over its lowly walls,
<• can still be seen the refectory and dormitory
hoir as they were in the time of St. Clare, and there
you can see her breviary written for her by Fra Leo, and
there you can hear the very bell she used to ring to
Miiiunon the sisters to prayers.
Wadding says that the Benedictines who gave St.
mm the Portiuncula also gave him St. Damiano; but
22 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the Little Brothers who now dwell there are very
decisively against this. They have been diving into the
records of Assisi, and assert that the hermitage in the
thirteenth century certainly was a dependence of the
canons of the cathedral. The point is only interesting
as showing greater acknowledgment of the Franciscan
movement, if the grant came from the church dignitaries
of the town. It is also interesting to find the present
friars not only so full of loving care of St. Damiano and
all its precious relics, but so keen as to its past history
and anxious for accuracy.
Here, then, Clare entered on her life of penance and
of prayer; Francis gave her as her rule and as his most
precious gift the privilege of poverty ; the sisters never
had any money, and they had only such food as the friars
begged for them and brought to them. It is said that
Count Favorino became reconciled to his daughters and
gave them their dowries, but they at once gave the money
away to the poor : " That being entirely disburdened of
earthly things they might run the more lightly after Jesus
Christ."
Probably for the first three years, until Clare was made
to assume the position of abbess, there was close connec-
tion with the Brothers Minor, and aid in their work in
nursing the lepers and caring for the sick. The question
of the enclosure of the Poor Clares is a very thorny one ;
it is an absolutely definite rule now, and the Poor Clares
themselves are the most strenuous upholders of it ; but
when a writer like Father Paschal Robinson refuses the
story in the Fioretti of St. Clare going to supper at t hi-
Portiuncula for the last time with St. Francis, because,
apparently, he is afraid to acknowledge that Clare was not
always strictly enclosed, the need for courage rather than
caution is obvious. Why accept other stories of the
Fioretti, and not this one? We shall come across many
stories showing how Francis turned to Clare for help and
advice, and how close and beautiful was their spiritual
I.I ! vr. U \l; U
dship. bo that Clare is spoken of as "the chief rival
of the Blessed Francis in the observance of Gospel
is with reference to the diverse merits of the
. and the contemplative life that one of these stories
is told in Bona venture's Life of St. Fronds. The saint
was in doubt as to whether his call was to preaching or
prayer ; toe need of mission work seemed great, yet was
he ever a lover of seclusion and meditation. And after he
had pondered for many days he called two of the brothers
bade them go and put the question before Brother
tfter, then in retreat at the Carceri, and before the
virgin Clare, and ask them to pray for light and lea-
announce their decision. And the priest and the
n were marvellously in agreem< air answers,
lie Holy Spirit revealed to each that it was the Divine
will that the saint should go forth and preach. So Francis
rose and girded himself, and without delay set forth on
his journey.
The following pissagn from the Clares' own history of
their Order shows how they view this question of the
secluded life : "The Clares were the first religions
described by the special name of * Enclosed ' or
' Recluses.' It is the title by which they were honoured
in nearly all the apostolic letters of Gregory IX snd of
Inmxvi.t IV -
And here is a legendary story of these early days told
in Homes of the First Franciscans, but also told to the
present writer by a smiling Brown Brother, who sn
need not be believed. Francis and Clare walked together
one winter's da\ 15 to Spello, a little town some
seven or eight miles from Assim Spoletan valley,
where the Camaldulese nuns of the Vallegloria convent
desired to come under the Franciscan rule. They went
■in for food, and mine host was an evil-minded man,
who grumbled away that it was scandalous for s man snd
woman to go tramping about the country together under
cover of religion. It was a Friday, and, determined to
24 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
put his guests in the wrong, mine host placed a fat fowl
on the table. Now, Francis had taken as part of his rule
the Gospel verse : " Eat such things as are set before you "
(Luke x. 8), and the law of the Church forbade meat on
a Friday. So Francis made the sign of a cross over the
fowl and it flew away, and a fish took its place, and mine
host was converted. But Francis was sad that such things
should be thought, and when they left Spello Francis
bade Clare return by the upper path which runs along the
hill-side, and he himself took the road along the valley.
Now Clare had not heard the scandal and did not under-
stand, and she called down to Francis to know when they
should meet again. And Francis, in confusion, put her
off with the phrase : " When the roses blow on Mount
Subasio." And Clare went forward puzzled, but as she
walked the snow melted before her feet, and behold !
briars were blooming in her pathway ; and joyfully she
picked the flowers and put them in her robe, and gathered
it up and ran down the hill-side to St. Francis, and
showed him the roses. And he was convinced that pure-
mindedness should triumph, and together they walked
back to Assisi. Now this legend must have a wide range,
for there are several pictures of St. Clare (not St. Eliza-
beth !) extant, where she is represented with her lap full
of roses, whilst her bare feet are in the snow. And how-
ever unsupported it may be by evidence, it is proof that
the tradition is of the working and walking together of
Francis and Clare. And at least the Camaldulese nuns
did become Poor Ladies in 1215 — one of the first founda-
tions, of Clare.
Here is another account of these early days, and this
time we have the authority of the Bishop Jacques de
Vitry, in a letter still preserved in the library at Ghent.
He was passing through Italy in 1216, and writes : "Here
are men and women who have voluntarily stripped them-
selves of all earthly possessions, the better to serve God.
The men are called Friars Minor. . . . The women dwell
LIFE OF si ( I \l, U
in hospices in the environs of cities, and live in common
f their labour, but accept no money." This
sounds like a fairly active life, though it is doubtful if
use of the word "hospice" really meant that the
s "boused " the sick or travellers. We know that
is used to send the sick to Clare, for we rea
Blessed Francis sent to St. Clare a
bar who was named Stephen, and who was possessed.
she made the sign of the cross over the brother, and
bade him sleep a little in the spot where she usually
prayed. And after s little he awoke sane and cored. A
boy of three years, called Mattiolo, had fixed a stone
hi his nostril so that no man could extract it. And
Francis sent him to St. Clare, and as soon as she had
made the sign of the cross he drew out the stone and was
cured."
The strangeness would be if the life of this growing
band of Poor Ladies had been slei eutyped in those first
years : they had no elaborate rules; they were sworn to
obey Francis, and he, glad soul, would assuredly wish
them to work and sing as well as to pray. There was
much to be done : the poor churches the brothers were
aiding and re-establishing needed altar-linen snd
vestments, and there were arrangements to be made
for all the new novices who were striving, and for those
r convents at Severino, Florence and elsewhere
which wished to come under the Franciscan rule of
Many of the other young girls of Assisi longed to
imitate Clare and Agnes, and the richest snd the noblest
were most keen to come. Nor was it only girls who
embraced the life of penance and mortification ; many
married couples separated, the men entering a monastery
and the women a convent, and all dedicating themselves
to God.
1 1 i story makes mention of some of the nuns who joined
Clare in the first years at St. Damiano. First, there was
26 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
her sister Agnes , whose reception we have described ; then
her aunt, Bianca Guelfucci, who had aided Clare's flight,
and who became Sister Pacifica. She outlived St. Clare,
and in 1253 we find her giving evidence of the sanctity of
St. Clare at the canonical investigation ordered by Inno-
cent IV. She spent two years at Spello, but died at
St. Damiano, and her body was subsequently removed to
St. Chiara.
Amata Cornaro, Clare's niece, daughter of Penenda
Scifi and Martino di Corano, a noble of Assisi. She was
on the eve of marriage when, one day visiting St.
Damiano to ask her aunt's prayers, she suddenly felt
the call to the cloister. Her parents and fiance were very
angry, but Amata was decided and unbending, and the
family had to give way before so decided a vocation. She
also was one of the witnesses of the saintliness of
Clare, in the year 1253. We are told that St. Clare
specially loved Amata for her innocence and affectionate
disposition.
Agnes Opertula, daughter of Bernardo of Assisi, was
only a child when she joined St. Clare. The pretty story
told by Wadding is that she was visiting St. Damiano
with her mother one day, and leaving her mother's hand
ran and clung to Clare's habit and refused to depart. She
was left under Clare's influence, and in due time became
a nun, and was granted the gift of contemplation. Once
when a friar was preaching she heard the Divine voice
whisper : "In medio vestri sum." She moved, with other
nuns, to San Giorgio in 1260, and died on the 1st of
February of the following year.
Francesca of Perugia entered St. Damiano in 1213,
and followed worthily in the footsteps of St. Clare. She
died in 1238. To her belongs the beautiful phrase : —
" Aeternum sit amoris insanabili vulnus."
Balbina (or Baluina) Cornaro, sister of Amata, and
niece of Clare ; she was the first abbess of the Poor Clares
at Vallegloria, Spello, where she lived a vigorous and
LI I I <>F ST. CLAB If
fe. She died there on the 3rd of February,
sedetta of Assisi entered St. Damiano in 1
and Clare in 1253 she waa elected abbess ,
a post she filled wo 11 her death on Uk
>. 1260.
i aba, great-niece of the saint- joined St. Damiano
m 12*20, and in 1283 went to Spain to make new founda-
tions th. re.
Beatrice, Clare's youngest filter, became a nun at the
age of eighteen, and waa noted for her spirit of prayer.
lied in 1260. So that we have the saints mother,
Ortolana ; her two sisters, Agnes and Beatrice ; her three
nieces, Amata, Balbina and Agnes ; and her great-niece,
. nil joining St. Damiano in St. Chiara's lifetime.
In all Clare had fifty companions in the year 1288, and
Wadding gives the full list of their names, many of which
also i the Mirttrologio Prancescano.
As the lumber of nuns increased, it became necessary
to appoint an abbess, and by holy obedience Francis in
lare assume this office. She felt this to be a
heavy task and responsibility, but with quiet strength
she shouldered the burden and bore it calmly for the rest
r days.
Thomas of Cclano describes Clare at this period, and it is
probable he saw her himself. He says : " Neble by birth .
but still more noble by grace, she waa of an angelic purity.
waa yet young, but ripe before her time; fenrei
the service of God, endowed with rare prudence and
deepest humility ; she waa one of those great souls the
human tongue cannot worthily praise." In all her
res Clare is shown aa tall and dignified, the forehead
broad, the eyes almond, the chin small and firmly
modelled. She dressed in "one poor tunic and a patched
cloak lie earth-coloured shade that is sometimes
called grey and sometimes brown. Her girdle was a piece
of rope, and In r fsjfl was black. Her under-garment waa
28 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
a hair shirt ; but in spite of her bodily mortifications we
always hear of her as full of spirit and cheer — "so that
she seemed either not to feel these austerities or to laugh
at them." The Bollandist legend says wisely: "The
interior joy which filled her soul showed itself outwardly ;
for indeed when love lightens the heart the sufferings of
the body are as nothing." "She refused no ordeal, nor
had she any unwillingness, nor any fear." It is a noble
picture, where perfect faith had cast out fear and all hard-
ship became joy. Never unwilling and never afraid !
No wonder the work wrought by such a type of woman-
hood still persists and spreads.
The abbess desired a title for her community, and
remembering how poverty was the distinctive mark of
the Franciscan, she wrote to Pope Innocent III to grant
them the title of Poor Ladies. There has been some
confusion as to the date of this appeal, probably because
there was first granted by Innocent III in 1215 the
"Titulo Paupertatis," or title of Poor Ladies; and sub-
sequently by Gregory IX in 1228 the " Privilegium Pauper-
tatis," or right never to be forced to receive possessions.
Certainly Thomas of Celano distinctly states that " When
she wished a name for her Order, she prayed Innocent
III that they might be called after poverty." And in her
" Testament " Clare says : " I left nothing undone to pro-
cure this right of poverty from Innocent III, under whose
pontificate our Order began." Whereas the document
still preserved at Assisi is dated 1228 and signed by
Gregory IX.
I will to believe that the "Titulo Paupertatis" was
granted in 1215, because it is the date of Magna Charta.
Innocent III died in 1216.
Is the picture of our noble abbess clear to the reader's
mind? There on the hill-side amidst the olives is the tiny
church and cloister, and there are gathered some thirty
or forty of the brightest and best of the ladies of Assisi
engaged in work and prayer and in penance. Their
LIFE OF ST (I \i:i m
poor robe and the cheerful countenance is
lost in undertaking disagreeable duties in tb«
firmary, or in washing the feet of the lay-misters; but she
is also busy frith new foundations all the world over,
■ ltd correspondenct ope and cardinals sbout
md her Order. Her needle works swiftly st fine
!i. and St Francis, when he was in Assist,
was wont often to visit St. Clare and give her holy
counsels" (Ftor<
life Beret runs long on untroubled lines.
■he Pentecostal Chapter inci* decided to
crusade of the new Pope Honorius III. and he
sailed from Ancona on the 24th of June. 11< I N tin*
growing Order of Poor Clares in the charge of Cardinal
only reserving to his personal government the
com. I >amiano. I'golino was a great admirer
«>f the Franciscan Order, but never able to wholly grasp
the idea of evangelical poverty which governed Fra>
A convent of Benedictine nuns at Montkelli, near
id asked to put on the Franciscan habit.
Ugolino suggested that Agnes should be sent to M
as abbess to inaugurate the reform. This must have
been a terrible parting for the sisters; but Agnes — only
twenty years of age— obeyed and went. So far the Poor
Ladies had had no definite rule beyond their three vows
snd obedience to Francis. Cardinal Ugolino added certain
as continual fasting and constant silence, to
the Benedictine rule, and gave it to Agnes for use at
Monticelli. Alas! the mainspring of the Franciscan lift-
was left out ! The Benedictine rule allowed the posses
aion of property, and the Lady Poverty was by it tin*
1. Here began the great struggle of Clare's lif< .
if a formal rule was necessary she wanted it to conform
aa far as possible to the rule of the Friars Minor, and
above all she wanted no possessions — she wanted absolute
poverty. For the time being Agnes had to accept the rule
of Ugolino, but she and Clare were both strong in protest,
80 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
and in due time, when Francis returned, that protest had
effect.
During the year 1220 there were foundations at Foligno,
Arezzo, Castiglione and elsewhere in Italy, and also at
Santaren in Portugal and at Kheims in France. Marie
de Braye was leader of the little band sent forth from
Assisi to Kheims, and to her Clare gave a corporal she
had worked herself and other relics to bear to the new
convent. In 1221 Francis returned from the East, and
instituted the third Order, which, it is thought, Ortolana
then joined. Ever after his journey to Egypt and the
Holy Land, Francis, never very strong, suffered from
some complaint of the liver that made digestion very
difficult ; also he had constant inflammation of the eyes :
the sword was wearing out the scabbard. But in spite
of work and weariness he found time to tackle Cardinal
Ugolino on the subject of that rule with my Lady Poverty
left out, and together they drafted a new and wiser rule,
which was sanctioned in 1224. This is the year of the
stigmata ; Francis, having retired to the mountain soli-
tude of La Verna for prayer, when in an agony of love
and contemplation, received in his body wounds like unto
the wounds of our Saviour. He had to ride or be carried
on his journey back to Assisi, for the wounds in his
feet were very sore, and he was feign to hide them. But
to Clare he told of them, and she made him a pair of soft
shoes, and also a dressing to apply to the wound in his
side. The shoes, and a beautifully fine alb also made by
St. Clare, were shown at the Exhibition of Umbrian Art
at Perugia in 1907 : the dressing or bandage for the
side, all stained by blood, is preserved in a silver casket
at the church of Santa Chiara at Assisi. It is the gnat
privilege of the present writer to have seen these things.
The alb is very fine work, but very long ; tradition asserts
it was made for St. Francis, but tradition also asserts
that St. Francis was very short ; the shoes and alb arc
LIFE OF ST ( l \! 81
now put a\\ the altar in the chapel at St. Cbiara
ot be seen. The privilege of seeing the bandage
was granted by the courtesy of Sister Marie Theresa, who
was Sacristan in 1911, and who put the precious casket
in the rota and turned it, and allowed us to take
u in the chapel and open it It hnnge the sweet
of this friendship of saints so very near to be
allowed to see then things.
is probably to this year of 12124 that an undated letter
from Agnes to Clara belongs, for in it she rejoices in the
new rule. Wadding thinks it should be dated 1321
the exact year is of no importance. Here it is slightly
- viated : "To the very venerable my loved Moth
Jesus Christ, Sister Clare, and all the community, the
humble Sister Agnes, least disciple of Christ, oom mends
arest Mother! what tribulation and sadness possess
me body and sou! •»« reason that 1 am parted from
thee and my holy sisters. I believed that I was united
ufe and death to those who with me consecrated
themselves to Heaven, but I find myself deluded and
exceeding sorrowful. It remains for thee to aid me by
prayer, O sweetest sister and mother, that I may be
fd to return to thee and my sisters. And I pray
all to thank God that I find in this bouse so much
concord, peace and charity. These sisters treat me with
the greatest love and respect, and show me always a ready
obedience. Know also that they and I through all our
lives desire to observe exactly thy holy precepts and
counsels. I would have thee know that the Supreme
iff concedes to me, according to thy intention and
mine, not to bold any possessions, as I petitioned him
Lastly, use your mediation to make the Minister-General
i visit and console us in the Lord. Grace be with
I. Amen
i t was in 1224 that Francis sent Brother Agnellus to
Bnsiand as Minister ial, and Thomas of Eccleston
82 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
records that in " the eighth year of the Lord King Henry
the Friars Minor first arrived in England."
About this time Clare desired much to see St. Francis
and have conversation with him once more at the Port-
iuncula. The pretty story of this their last supper is
told in the Fioretti. Some modern friars have chosen to
disbelieve it, because it shows St. Clare leaving the
cloister. But it was a friar and friend of St. Francis
who wrote it. We translate from Loccatelli —
"Clare, wishing to increase in fervour, greatly desired
to see St. Francis once again. Perhaps she remembered
that St. Benedetto saw St. Icolastica and spoke to her
once every year. She longed also, because at that time
the popes had not yet shut up the nuns in the cloister,
to return to the chapel of St. M. degli Angeli, where she
had pronounced her first vows : to renew them, and be
kindled with new ardour. She put the thing first before
her God, so that nothing earthly should mix itself in
her intentions ; then she wrote to ask permission to go
from St. Francis, who refused several times, but at last
consented, and Clare with some sisters, escorted by some
of the Minor Friars, went down there. The morning was
passed in prayer in the venerated sanctuary, witness of
her first fervour, and of her adieu to the world. Then the
dinner hour arrived ; food was set as usual on the bare
earth close by. The friars were summoned to the meagre
and poor meal, and Clare and Francis appeared. Francis
preferring spiritual to bodily food, touched nothing yet, but
began to speak of God, and he spoke with so much unction,
and the fire which burned inwardly manifested itself so
powerfully, that it was communicated to the disciples and
diners, and they became all rapt in ecstasies. They
seemed like the apostles in the Last Supper, absorbed in
prayer. Their hands raised on high, no one spoke, and
all had their eyes fixed on the skies. The Holy Spirit
which filled them wished to show itself in something
wonderful. In the midst of a nimbus and whirlwind, fire
LIFE OF ST. GLAH M
was beheld to descend from on high and envelop the
lary. the monastery, the wood entirely, and flame
and fire to issoe from every part.
•ndering and astonished, men came nastily from
Assisi, from Bellona, from the neighbouring Tillages to the
flaming Portiuncula; they wished at first to extinguish
the fire, and save if possible the inhabitants. The more
bold approached and penetrated the horning habitation ; in
place of ruin and death, they found everything entire, and
every person sale and sound. They beheld Francis
re and the friars all rapt in contemplation ;
astonished, they were silent, and did not dare to disturb
them. But the fame of the event spread abroad, the
memory of it lasted, and it is the subject of many ancient
res. The meal finished without earthly food being
touched by any one, Clare returned to nor retreat in
>amiano. and was received by the sisters with extra-
sry joyf ulneea. Though ignorant of the reason of her
brief absence, they did not doubt that Francis had called
her, perhaps they had feared to send her elsewhere to new
foundation, "
last days of locis on earth approached
rapidly, and Fra El is*, his vicar-general, brought him to
s little cell contiguous to the convent of St. Demiano, so
that Clare and her nuns could nurse him. and prolong, if
possible, the precious life. He stayed there forty days,
and hour- friars, and the abbess and nuns, did all they
1 to alleviate his sufferings, but they increased
gradually, especially in his eyes. The nights passed with-
out sleep ; he was also disturbed by rata which ran about
his cell and jumped on his table and bed. Francis had
resource to prayer ; Clare and her nuns prayed also. And
early one morning when Clare went down the garden
towards that little wattle hut, she heard a joyful voice
singing—
"Laudato at* lo 8%aoes!N
It was the Song of the Creature*— that wonderful hymn
84 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of praise and thanksgiving for all that is beautiful and good :
the only poem by St. Francis that has come down to this
day. Clare called her nuns to listen— to learn— to join in.
And the friars ran to find Fra Pacifico, the King of Verses,
that he might learn this new laud and sing it wide over
tin- kingdom of France, of which he was First Minister.
The spirit was triumphant over the body ; all was joy
\\ ithin. But Fra Elias was anxious still — anxious for that
poor wracked frame — and he had St. Francis continually
moved here and there in search of health. Early in the
year 1226 Francis was sent to "breathe the spring
breezes" in Tuscany (for the hill-side of Assisi is very bleak
in spring), and whilst there had knowledge of the near
approach of Sister Death. He begged to be carried back
to the Portiuncula to die. Clare herself was very ill at
this time, and full of woe at the thought that she should
not see her friend and father again. "And therefore did
she signify this unto the Blessed Francis by a certain
brother, which, when the holy man did hear, forasmuch
as he did love her above all other with fatherly affection,
he was moved with pity toward her. . . . And so that
she should lay aside all sadness and grief, he said unto the
brother whom she had sent : ' Go and tell Sister Clare
to lay aside all sorrow and sadness for that she cannot see
me just now, forasmuch as in truth let her know before her
departure both she herself and my sisters shall see me,
and shall be greatly comforted as concerning me.' And it
came to pass that a little after the Blessed Francis passed
away in the night, and on the morrow the folk and clergy
of Assisi came and bore his body by the will of the Lord
to 8t. Damiano, . . . and removing the grating whereby
the sisters were wont to communicate and to hear the Word
of God, they took the body from the bier and held it for
a space at the opening, so that the Lady Clare and her
sisters were comforted by the sight and could kiss the
wounded hands, and weep like orphans to lose so dear
a father" {Speculum Perfectionis).
LIFE OF ST. I I. Mil 85
ndations of the friendship of Francit sod Clare
were deep in the brotherhood of Christ ; bed it been other-
wise, bed this been e mete human friendship, surely now
would have come the break-up of Clare" For with
the death of Francis, bitter times fell upon those who
tried to be true to our Lady Poverty— to the Franciscan
ideal. Fra Eliaa, the vicar-general, was ambitions, was a
great organizer ; he meant to make a worldly roocess of
Francis after his death, though he bad not been able to
do so during his life. He set to work to collect money
—money which Francis had forbidden Us followers to
touch ! — to build a great church in honour of Francis,
and when Brother Leo overthrew the urn set op for
receiving these alms, Eliaa had him scourged and turned
I Aasisi. And only five months after Francis Pope
rim HI died and Cardinal Ugolino mounted the
pontifical throne as Gregory 1 1 I lare bad already had
to struggle against his kindly intentions but lack of under-
standing. She was only thirty-four years of age, and
straggle to be allowed to live the life of poverty planned
for her by Francis, was to go on for another twenty-seven
years — to end only on her death-bed.
Francis, tome of bis first followers, were still her friends.
They brought her as a gift the precious breviary of St.
Francis, and also gave back to her keeping the alb and
shoes that she had made and he bad worn. Doubtless
Leo went to her to be healed of his stripes, and certainly
he used to take all his manuacripta to her for safe-keeping,
t improbably he wrote the precious 8pccmhtm Per-
nio id some hut within the shelter of the wall of
Damiano. Then there were Rufino and Giles and
•lumper and others of the friars; we shall come across
m of their intercourse with Clare as we go along.
re was one attempt to break down these friendly
ions. Here is the story as Loocatelli tells it-
tie Pope Gregory IX ordered that no friars without
M ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
apostolic faculty, should go to the cloister of the poor
nuns of St. Damiano, even to confess them ; except those
deputed by the superiors of the Order, to provide for
their temporal wants. As soon as Clare heard of the
prohibition, she sent for the friars who were appointed
to seek alms for the nuns, and with affectionate thanks
sent them back to the vicar-general. ' Because if it
pleased his Holiness to take away from us the friars who
fed our souls with the bread of the Divine Word, those
who came only to procure corporal nourishment for us,
are so much less necessary.' When the Pope heard of
the resolution of the saint, he revoked his decree, and com-
manded that the sons of St. Francis should help the nuns
as hitherto."
Though Clare kept herself hidden within the walls of
St. Damiano, the citizens of Assisi were continually at the
gates of the cloister to consult her and seek her help, and
the Pope himself was amongst her visitors. The Fioretti
has the following story of one of his visits —
"Gregory IX, of famous memory, coming to the city of
the Subasio, often came down to St. Damiano to visit
them. On one occasion he passed a great part of the
morning with the abbess in spiritual and holy talk. At
the usual hour the sign for the nuns' dinner was heard.
The Pope, accompanied by some cardinals who were with
him, then went to the poor and dark refectory, which has
been preserved without any change till to-day. From
this condescension the Superior took courage to beseech
him to bless the poor table of the servants of the Lord.
The Pope said : ' No, Sister Clare, you say the blessing
m usual.' She replied : ' How could I, a poor, miserable
woman, dare to do so in front of the Vicar of Christ, of
whom I do not deserve to kiss the feet.' And the Pope :
' With the merit of the vow of obedience you will do
what I tell you.* Then she distended her right hand, and
blessed the table, making over it the sign of the cross.
In that instant, upon all the rolls of bread distributed
UFB OF ST. ( l M
be places of the sisters, appeared impressed a little
cross. The Pope, cardinals and nuns observed the miracle
. and with one accord praised the Lord for
Some of those rolls of bread were preserved, m
memory of the fact. Also at the present day it is the
custom, on the birthday of the saint, to bless some pieces
vhich is impressed a little cross, in order to
satisfy the wishes and devotion of the faithful "
ntory of relics of St. Damiano dated 1680.
and also that dated 1717, U "A loaf blessed by 8t. Clare."
•inch a little dricd-up bit of bread (rather like a stale
hot-cross bun) used to be shown st St. Damiano until
last year or two. It is not in the list of relics of the
i Ricordo that the Little Brothers now give to the
generous visitor.
1228 Gregory IX came to Assist for the canon-
ization of St. Francis, snd now Clare won from him thst
wonderful bull, that " Privilegium Psupertatis"
<)ue privilege," as the sisters call it. The bull is
still preserved in the archive at Santa Chiara. and baa
been photographed in the last few years by Friar Paschal
Robinson
gory IX, ss usual, sought "holy counsel" from the
saint. And one day speaking with her in St. Damiano, be
hinted at more moderate privations, trying to persuade
i reasons which appeared powerful to him. To
•h, Clare not yielding, the Pontiff believed that the
came from the vow of absolute poverty made by
to God, and therefore he said to her : " If this vow
you, from this time forth we will absolve you from
Clare answered holy fat lo not desire
to be absolved from following Jesus Christ ; the sbsol
I implore is from my sins." Touched, the Vicar of
t went no further ; on the contrary, he promised his
support :»!><! protection. And when he returned to Perugia
<>n the 16th of September, 1228, he maintained his
promise, with apostolical letters conceding to her, and
88 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
to the sisters of St. Damiano, "that they should not be
obliged to receive, have, or take possessions."
The following is a translation of this bull : "Gregory,
Bishop, servant of the servants of God ; to his beloved
daughter Clare and her handmaids in Christ, dwelling
together at St. Damiano in the diocese of Assisi, saluta-
tion and apostolic benediction. It is manifested that it is
the wish to dedicate yourselves wholly to God that has
caused you to abandon all temporal desires ; wherefore
having sold all your goods and distributed your money
to the poor, you propose to have no possessions, in order
to follow fully in the footsteps of Him who for our sakes
became poor, and who is the Way, the Truth and the
Life. Nor does the absence of necessaries even deter you,
for the arm of your Heavenly Spouse is beneath your head ,
and sustains the weak body which you have made subject
to the ordinances of your love. Surely He who feeds the
birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field, will
not leave you without food and raiment ; and when you
pats into eternity His right hand shall minister to you
and the plenitude of the Beatific Vision shall console you.
Since, therefore, you have supplicated our Authority for
this most high Poverty, We grant by these present letters
that you be not constrained by any to receive possessions,
nor compelled to own anything. And let no man infringe
this concession, or rashly oppose it, or he will incur the
wrath of Almighty God."
Clare had not only moral strength to endure, she had
also physical courage to act. Italy was at this time torn
with internecine strifes. Within the walls of each little
city were ever two political parties ready to fly at one
another's throats, and only comrades in arms when aooib
town attacked them. And then there was the constant
warfare between the Popes and the Emperor Frederick II.
From every point of view St. Damiano without the city
walla was none too safe a place of sojourn. Frederick
during his warlike excursions east had enrolled a horde
LIFE 01 >T ( LAB U
of mercenaries, who were commonly called "the Sara-
cens, " or "the pagans," and who were particularly feared
ietested by the Italians. How they twice attacked
Assisi and were twice defeated by St. Clare, shall be told
by Loccat
be love of Clare towards Jesus in the Secram<
was rewarded by the magnificence of the Lord in a miracle
ight for the benefit of her, her nans and native place.
Twenty thousand Saracens had been raised by the unlucky
advice of the iniquitous Emperor Frederick. One day a
large horde of them invaded the contado of Aasisi, be-
siege, ind also assaulted the hill on whicl
Damiano is situated. Like a vulture descending 01
prey, they descended on the convent, and the first wall
unding it scaled, they were at the door. Prostrated
by severe illness, Clare lay in her bad. The sisters ran
to her overcome by fear, and told her of the danger ; but
not dismayed, she cheered them up, and supported by
the two nuns Sister Francesca del Colledimeaao and Siatar
illuminate da Pisa, she got on her feet, and had herself
carried before Jesus in the Sacrament, to whom sir
she reclaimed : ' You will not, O Lord, give up to the
wild hearts, these souls who profess your faith : guard
handmaidens redeemed by your precious blood.'
And a voice like that of a little boy seemed to issue from
the sacred pyx, and replied : ' 1 will guard you always.'
Clare replied : ' Protect also, O Lord, this my native
place, which is liberal to us with food and isaiatance for
love of you.' The same voice replied: 'Your native
place will have much to safer, but My arm will come in
its defence.' Clare advanced comforted, and with the
v of Holies in her hand, approached the gate. The
infidels were then getting over the second wall, wheel)
separated them from the inner rooms of the convent, but
sight put them all to confusion. Those who had
bed on the top, becoming instantly blind, fell down
outside; the others, seized by a mysterious terror, took
40 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
flight, and the whole band disappeared — cloister and
country were saved.
"But one miracle alone did not suffice to make them
desist from their nefarious enterprise. Perhaps from
revenge, they returned soon after in larger number, led
by the Imperial Captain, Vitale of Antwerp, and set siege
again to the wretched city. They set fire to and robbed
the surrounding country, carrying everywhere slaughter
and destruction. In the name of Caesar, the cruel leader
imposed on the citizens excessive taxes, threatening, if
they did not pay up, to bury them under the walls.
" It was in vain to hope for help from man, only Heaven
could give it. The abbess of St. Damiano, having called
her nuns round her, told them to pray for the city in
danger, to which ' for the alms that it gives us, we should
be grateful.' Before beginning her prayers, she covered
her head with ashes, and made the sisters do likewise.
Then 6he said : ' Go, my daughters, and with your crying
constrain the heart of Jesus. Who knows if He will not
be melted by your tears, and save the country and its
inhabitants?' If ever it was true that the prayers of
the innocent opened the gate of heaven, one saw it then.
At dawn a furious tempest, directed by an invisible
strength, broke over the camp of the infidels. It was
not possible to fight against it. The tents were beaten
down, the ordnance broken, the banners rooted up and
carried away, and what was worse, the army was over-
come by a general and invincible terror, and the besiegers
had no other remedy than a quick flight. One does not
read that the besiegers attempted another sally, they were
completely routed. This flight, this dispersion, was a
miracle from heaven. More than six centuries have gone
by, and the memory of those two wonderful deliverances
still remains. On the 22nd of June the clergy of the
cathedral, and of the city, the secular fraternities, etc.,
celebrate it with festivities. In solemn procession they
go to the present church of St. Clare, where they make
LIFE OF ST. CLAIM u
Tenanting their blessed tmi y fellow-
and receiving the benediction. Then they
descend to St. Damiano, where, the Tabernacle kissed,
closed the box or pyx in which St. Clare kept
icharist, they are present at a votive Mass,
ii is celebrated every year on this occasion ; and for
days from then the sacred Host remains exposed
be adoration of the faithful, in that tabernacle and
mi commemoration of this event that Clare is
generally represented as holding the Blessed Sacrament.
Also it is the privilege of the abbesses of the Poor Clares
ment on their altars, without the interposition of a priest.
is a privilege no other women possess.
spite of wars and alarms the foundations went
steadily on. There were now 13 convents in Italy, 5 in
France, 3 in Spain, 1 in Portugal and 1 in Bohemia,
foundations in Spain were started from St. Damiano,
sending her niece Agnes Cornaro, and her great-
niece and namesake, the younger Clare. The foundation
rague was made by Princess Agnes of Bohemia in
1296. About 1234 Agnes, having refused marriage with
the Emperor Frederick II, decided to join the Poor
Ladies, and wrote to Clare to express her desire and ask
for advice and help. Clare was delighted, and sent five
nuns from St. Damiano, and by them a copy of the
Rule of 1224, sending presents and a charming letter,
in full in Chap. V. Thereafter Clare
wrote other three letters, all of which have come down
to us, to cheer the Princess and Poor Clare on her way.
A legal document signed by all the nuns at St. Damiano
-'38 shows fifty-one names : it is obvious that for all
work that was going on all over Europe from that
centre numbers were necessary; but one
lers where they all found room in that small convent
42 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
— more especially in the tiny choir. Thomas of Celano
says St. Damiano "resembled a garden jewelled with
flowers, a bower from whence was diffused a most sweet
perfume of holy living."
Clare was not only constant in work, she was frequent
in prayer. It is told that she once stayed three days in
a trance, and there is no doubt that she tasted the supreme
bliss of the Heavenly Vision that is the crown and glory
of the religious life. There are many legends about these
later years that tell of her as the ecstatic — as the con-
templative.
The following is from Thomas of Celano's Life, and I
have ventured to give it in Mrs. Balfour's translation,
because of the charm of language that is hers —
"Once it happened on the holy day of the Last Supper,
when we commemorate how God loved to the last His
disciples, recommending for all the hour of His Passion
to His Father. Then St. Clare, weary and sad, shut her-
self into her cell, and she prayed long to God and was sad
even unto death. And in this sadness she was oppressed
with a fervent love, full of desire, for she remembered how
Jesus Christ was taken at this hour and ill-treated and
mocked, and with this thought she was all inebriated.
And the next day she was in such ecstasy that she knew
not where her body was. Her eyes in her head gazed
into one place without blinking or moving. And the
eyes of her heart were fixed on Jesus Christ so that slie
saw not the things of the earth. One of her daughters,
more intimate and known to her than the others, went
often to see her, and always she found her in the same
place. On the night of Saturday the devout daughter
brought her a lighted candle. And without speaking she
signed to St. Clare to remember the command of St.
Francis, for he had commanded her that she should pass
no day without eating something. Thus, when she came
before her with her candle, Clare came to herself again,
and it seemed as though she came back from another
I.I! i: OF ST. ( LAKE
world, and she said : ' Sweet lister, what need is there of
a cat Is it not still day?' ' Dear mother/ she
answered, ' the night is gone, and the day is passed, and
ber night has returned.' ' Sweet sister,' said the
lis sleep that I hare taken be blessed
I desired it much and God gave it to me. Bat take heed
you tell no one whilst I h
re had the joy of intercourse with the friars, who
were . nds of hers and early companions of St.
cis. Leo, with his own band, and in most dainty
>ig, made her a breviary, which is one of the relies
stfl] at St Damiano, and other brothers came to preach
I *dies and encourage and inflame them with
the love of Christ. Loocatelli tells bow Clare enjoyed these
sermons, and states that she once said to her sisters :
"No sermon has been so little pleasing to my bearing
t has not brought great help to my soul. It is not
enough, my daughters, that you listen to the censure
<>f the preacher; it is necessary that yon should gather
some of it. aa one does the fruit." In fact, be goes on,
her always staying to bear the preaching, one saw
h what attention and devotion she received the
I of God. She hung upon the lips of the sacred
orator, immovable, and almost in a trance ; but if be spoke
10 suffering of the Saviour, it became impossible for
her to contain her tears. On hearing a sermon of St.
Francis, she was so kindled and filled with fervour, that
she seemed to have a living fire in her breast, and was
obliged to seek relief, and afterwards for some time
remained insensible to any trouble or worry that came
to disturb her.
Fra Pilippo d'Adria, the noted preacher, waa discours-
ing one day when the Lord, in the semblance of s
beautiful boy, appeared, and remained beside her as long
as the sermon lasted, and meanwhile she herself was
I l a/4 and Ugmd ©/ the Lad* A. dart, IriSilHH by Cbnrfett*
Balfour Longman* Price U *A
44 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
irradiated by a soft brightness, almost like that of the
stars. Sister Agnese d'Assisi, with wonder and edifica-
tion, saw the marvel, and vouched for it, after the death
of the sacred Mother, to the Bishop of Ipoleto. One day
the Guardian of S. M. degli Angeli, yielding to the wishes
of the saint, sent her a learned theologian (perhaps the
celebrated Englishman, Alexander Hales) so that he
should discourse to her and her nuns, and gave him as
a companion the humble Brother Giles, one of the first
disciples of Francis. The orator began his discourse, and
pursued it with his usual eloquence and doctrine, when
Brother Giles suddenly got up and asked for silence, as
he also wished to preach. The theologian obeyed, and
Giles, in many and fiery words, spoke of the love of God.
At last he stopped and told his companion he might now
resume his sermon, which he did. Afterwards the saint
said to her nuns —
"Sisters, to-day one of the most ardent wishes of St.
Francis is fulfilled, that is that his sons should be so
humble that among them a learned professor of theology
should know how to give up his place in preaching to
a lay brother. In truth, I tell you that the humility of
this preacher has edified me much."
Indeed, Clare's sense of humour must also have been
roused, and we do not wonder she enjoyed the incident.
And through these years the strictest poverty was main-
tained. Clare did not content herself with being poor
of spirit, that is humble of intellect and of heart, and with
having renounced the goods of this world, but she wished
to remove the hope of herself and of her nuns of ever
having any : forbidding herself and them the possession
of any temporal goods, even in common. And she and
her disciples, by taking the vow of perpetual seclusion,
were unable to leave the cloister to seek alms and to
procure the necessaries of life. But Heaven aided her in
her heroic decision. The hour of dinner arrived one day,
and in the convent of St. Damiano there was nothing
LIFE OF ST. U MM 45
ne small roll of bread. Clare ordered thai it should
a, and a portion given to the friars, who had a
near there, and were tent there to seek alma for the
The other part was divided into fifty fragments
the nana) and distributed among them.
a miracle would be necessary like that of our Saviour
ier, raising her eyes to heaven, repeated her order,
the bread increased so much that there waa abund-
ance for all, and it waa necessary to gather up the
fragments. Another time one of the sisters being very
I was discovered thai there was no oil, so the Mother
took the oil vessel, and cleansing it put it outside the
tor, so that Friar Bencivengs could go round with
gging for oil. The friar went, and taking up the
vessel found it full, and complained that the Mother
wished him to seek oil when there was plenty. These two
miracles are referred to in Jacopone's Lauda.
Nobody else has told the story of these last days of
I'lare with so much sympathy and comprehension
as Loccatelli in his standard Lift and aa his book has
never been translated into English, I cannot resist turn-
ing more and more to it as a guide in describing the last
re's soul was so ardent that she longed to throw
herself among the infidels, and so gain the palm of martyr-
heart was so large that it waa full of »
not only for her daughters gathered in St. Damiano,
Jao f<*r those in the new foundations spread about
>pe. Her desire grew to afflict her own body, to
torture it with new devices of penance in order to bear
better the Saviour's cross ; but at last she was obliged
to give way he weight of an infirmity of twenty-
years' standing. Tortured by a constant fever. \
increased after viewing the stigmata on the body of St.
Francis, it seemed almost aa if a great suffering were
46 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the heritage left to her by him. And she suffered with-
out complaint ; she suffered from the strength of the fever,
which weakened her; she suffered from new ills which
from time to time were added to the original ones ; she
suffered from the extreme poverty which prevented her
from having the means to relieve her ills ; she suffered
from the rigour of her voluntary and daily mortification
of her body. She suffered for the sisters whom she had to
rule and govern ; and for the strangers who came to her
to be helped, cured and consoled. Many saw her then,
and did not think it possible that such a delicate woman
could live so long, suffering so much, without a miracle.
Her flesh dried up, till of that innocent body there
remained now only bones covered with dry skin, and the
sisters of St. Damiano saw with sorrow the time approach-
ing when their mother would be no longer with them.
It was the year 1251. But then occurred a fact which
shows once more how death sometimes defeats men's
forecasts, and happens only when God wishes it. In
St. Angelo di Panzo (the refuge of Clare and Agnes
before they were transferred to St. Damiano) one of the
pious sisters dreamed that she and her nuns went to visit
8t. Clare, who was ill at St. Damiano. They entered
her cell and found her lying on a luxurious bed, sur-
rounded by sisters, who were weeping, inconsolable at the
thought of their imminent loss. In the middle of this
crying and lamenting there appeared at the head of the
bed a venerable and most beautiful matron, who turned
to the afflicted sisters and began to console them, saying :
" Do not weep, my dear ones, do not weep ! The invalid
will yet live some time, and will only close her eyes when
the Lord comes to invite her to her heavenly bridal."
When the vision disappeared, it was narrated by the nun
to her companions, and told to the inhabitants of St.
Damiano. They reflected on it, and did not know how
to decipher it; but all, however, believed they recognized
the Mother of God in the majestic and beautiful matron.
LIFE OF ST. (I 47
tication was understood, when the Vicar
rist and his cardinals, who represent the
sever. disciples of the Ssviour, came to visit the
jre she died. Indeed, Clare's sickness,
if not cured, lost much of the intensity which had made
them fear her immediate death. Meanwhile by the
secret designs of the Providence which orders all our
gi unto the end, Innooet .:» April of this year,
France, came to Italy, and finally established him-
■ Perugia. Clare's malady progressed slowly, snd
she, seen in her bed, with her eyes fixed on high, without
rd or breath, her arms crossed on her breast, her head
leaning against the wall, might have been taken for dead
but for a certain brightness which irradiated her face and
reassured the bystanders. In those long boors of silence
of almost total obliteration of the senses, they did
know what had become of her soul ; but the rays of
light which issued from her body, or the two wings of
flame which seemed to fly from her face and fold them-
selves round her head, filled the sisters with respect and
' h holy admiration.
m Pope having arrived in the neighbouring Perugia,
the news of the illness of the abbess of the " Poor
ios " being always more grave, the Cardinal Rainaldo,
Bishop of Ostia, went from there to visit her. The
regory IX, of whom he was a nephew, sur-
vived in In id, and also the affection and veneration of that
great pot the heroic 8t. Clare. The cardinal came
to St. Damiano on September 4, 1262.
On seeing him appear before her, the virgin humbled
herself snd glorified God. He seeing her thus failing in
strength and serene in aspect, was edified and sorrowful.
iig the other consolations that he gave her, the excel -
I also brought and offered her with his own
hands the Holy Viaticum, by which the invalid was
sensibly re invigorated. She told him of the last ardent
i of her heart, the confirmation of her Order on the
48 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
base of the most absolute and most strict poverty. This
seemed to be the thread that attached her, among so many
ailments, to a life full of pain, and her death seemed to
depend on this. The excellent prelate promised to attend
to it, and promised also to have her nuns in his particular
care and attention. Returned to Perugia, and the per-
mission of the Pope received on the 16th of September,
that is, eight days after his visit to Clare, he sent out the
letter which begins : "Quia vos dilectae filise," in which
the constitutions of St. Francis for the second Order are
inserted textually and fully confirmed.
This was a great joy, but it did not satisfy Clare. She
felt she could not die till that privilege of absolute poverty
to her Order was granted by an apostolic bull. Mean-
while to the Christmas of 1252 belongs one of the most
beautiful stories of the joys of the saint. Clare was too
ill to move, and on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity
she lay lone on her bed whilst the other nuns went to
the midnight Mass. Every Catholic knows what a
glorious privilege it is to attend that most devotional
service, and Clare, like Francis, had a special devotion
to the Holy Child — the " Jesulino," as the Italian children
say. Suddenly to Clare's ears came the sound of bells
— the bells of the great church of St. Francesco, nearly
two miles away. Then came the sound of singing —
Adeste fideles — and Clare's spirit went, and her eyes
saw the altar and the crib, and her ears heard the whole
Haas, nay, and she received Communion. And when her
nuns returned and said: "Oh, had you but been there
to share our bliss!" Clare replied: "I was there, my
daughters!" Surely if the path of the saint is stony,
there are also great consolations.
Next spring Agnes returned from Monticelli to be with
her dying sister. Also Innocent IV transferred his court
to Assist, and from there he solemnly canonized the
Martyr St. Stanislaus Bishop of Cracow, and consecrated
several of the altars and churches. Clare's state of health
LIFE OF Si I LAB 49
became more precarious every day, and from the 28th of
July and after, she would neither taste food nor drink of
ws of it flew about the city. Many persona,
ig whom were nobles, prelates, cardinals, etc., came
to see her and to take farewell of her. More dead than
she was all gentleness and sweetness with every one.
r Rainaldo, touched by her long and bitter suffer-
ing, tried to comfort her, encouraging her to patience
resignation. And, smiling, she answered, "I thank
father, for your charity, but you may be certain that
from that most happy day in which I was called to religion
be Lord, through the means of Hie servant Francis,
no pain, no grief, no privation has ever been able to
separate me from the love of Jesus Christ." The day of
f August broke, and the Pontiff, fearing a loss
that he judged irreparable, came to see her with his
cardinals. This was the last time that be found her alive.
he appearance of Christ's Vicar, the cadaverous face
of the virgin seemed to be reanimated, a light of mysteri-
ous and holy happiness came to irradiate those eyes
always modest, now almost dim. The vision of the nun
of St. Angelo di Panxo was verified. The Pope held out
bis right hand for her to kiss ; the virgin, confused b\
•scension, prayed him also to allow her to loss his
foot. The Pope, not knowing how to refuse anything to
so much fervour and humility, caused a stool to be
brought, and placed his foot for her to kiss. Then
she besought plenary absolution for her sins, and be
1 : "Please God my soul may need absolution as
as does yours!" And raising his eyes to heaven,
he gave her plenary pardon of her faults, and added
Apostolic Benediction. Everything now seemed
hed, but it was not so yet. God, who prolonged
almost exhausted existence, reanimated also the
vigour of St. Clare, so that she could ask of the visible
bead of the Church a last favour, that was the confirma-
tion, with an apostolic bull, of her Rule, founded with
50 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the privilege of absolute poverty. The Pontiff was some-
what perplexed at this unexpected demand, and said :
" My daughter, for such a favour no one ever before has
made this request to the Holy See, nor if they had made
it would have obtained it. However, we wish to concede
you all you desire." This said, he signed with his own
hand the first clause of the bull of confirmation, in which
the Rule of the Clares is inserted in full, as had been
approved by the cardinal-protector in September of the
preceding year : and this bull was sent off on the same
day. Loccatelli adds : "I do not believe, my reader, that
any miser has ever toiled all his life to accumulate treasure
as our Holy Mother toiled to acquire poverty ; nor that
he regretted so much at the point of death to be obliged
to leave his wealth, as she exulted in being divested bare
of everything."
Fed, to her ineffable content, with the Bread of
Angels, the dying woman said to those around her :
"Thank the Lord, my daughters, for His immense good-
ness extended to me, His poor servant, to-day. The ful-
ness of His grace is such, that neither heaven nor earth
would suffice to compense Him for it. To-day I have
received within me my Bridegroom, and have been visited
by His vicar." Among the bystanders, the most assiduous
and perhaps the most grieved was Agnes, her youngest
sister, and her first nun, who had till now only spoken
with sighs and weeping. At last she was able to loose
li< r tongue and say : "Then, sister, you are leaving me,
and why do you not obtain grace for me to follow you to
heaven? " The dying woman replied : "It is the will of
the Lord that I should die before you, my sister; but do
not weep ; God will make you live for some days longer
to give you a great consolation, but very soon you will
rejoin me."
Many of the friars — the first companions of St. Francis
— gathered round the dying woman. Leo, in his grief,
could but kiss the poor and humble bed. But Clare called
Lin. OF BT I ! kRl 51
!ly to Juniper, that quaintest follower of the folly
of the Croat ws, O brother? Come, tell me
ings of Christ! " And Juniper spoke with lore
and ruing words es raised all thoughts
things of ea
ire was beard whispering, and when asked to whom
she spoke, replied : "I talk a little to my blessed soul
horn the heavens are already opening.** It was the
\ ugust, and towards evening the end came. The
saw a visionary procession of virgins, headed by Our
Lady, enter the door and surround the bed ; and when the
vision vanished Clare's soul bad gone also.
ire was in her sixtieth year when she died, and bad
■ ed Francis twenty-seven years.
<• Pope with his cardinals and prelates were present
rson at the funeral. The body waa for safety carried
town to the church of San Giorgio, the poor dis-
consolate nuns being faithfully promised that a place
should soon be provided for them near their saintly
In the December of the following year Innocent IV
and was succeeded by Cardinal Rainaldo, Protector
of the Poor Ladies, under the title of Alexander IV. He
solemnly canonised St. Clare on the 26th of September,
in the first year of bis pontificate and barely two
years after her death.
CHAPTEK III
THB RULE OF THE POOR CLARES
The story of the Rule of the Poor Clares is of one long
fight for simplicity and austerity. St. Francis had given
them at the beginning but some few lines of writing,
which St. Clare quotes in the sixth section of her Rule,
thus —
"Since by the inspiration of the Lord you have made
yourselves daughters and servants of the Supreme King,
the Celestial Father, and have espoused yourselves to the
Holy Spirit in order to live in evangelical perfection, I
will and promise, for me and for my Little Brothers,
always to have a diligent care and special solicitude for
you, as for them."
And later on, shortly before his death, he had written —
"/, poor Brother Francis, wish to follow the life and
poverty of our most high Lord Jesus Christ, and of His
most Holy Mother, and persevere in it to the end. And
I pray you all, my sisters, and do counsel you to always
live this most saintly life of poverty. And guard well lest
any by doctrine or counsel at any time draw you away
from it."
This, together with their vow of obedience when
assuming the Franciscan habit, had been sufficient for
St. Clare and the early sisters at St. Damiano, but when,
in 1219, Francis left for the East, and new foundations
were arising at Florence, Rheims and elsewhere, Francis
asked the Cardinal Ugolino to undertake the organization
of the new convents and give them a rule. Father Leo,
in his Life of Brother Giles, tells us that Francis had
already been approached to know whether the rule of St.
52
THE RULE OF THE POOH u aBBfl M
ild be the best basis, and had
I hat is not our vocation ! Our call is
-as."
nlinal Ugolino, however appreciative of the
iciacan movement, had not the sim-
g to genius— of a saint In a cautious
lent spirit he took the well-tried rule of
. straitened it a little aa regards silence and fast-
ing, the allowance of possessions. This rule is
inserted in the l> in omnia vera," but is not i
tig, for so soon aa Francis returned and found that
Lady Poverty had been alighted, he approached the
■ another rule, or rather, as Welding says :
Francis and Ugolino wrote a new rale f< ire."
was founded on the rule of the First Order, and
waa verbally sanctioned by Honorius III and bears date
1224; it was formally approved only in 1253, two days
before Clare's death, and the original bull was only dis-
covered in Assisi in 1803, wrapped inside an old habit of
- is known as "the First Rule of St.
Clare." It is the rule still followed at Assisi and elsewhere
re the primitive spirit of poverty prevails. Modifies-
of the rule were approved in 1-15 and 1247; and
finally, in 1263, St. Bonaventura submitted a codification
th Urban IV sanctioned and made obligatory on all
cnts not under the First Rule. He declared that the
should bear, without distinction, the name of
Si Clare," but aa a matter of fact they are
monly called Urbanists, and their rule is known aa
the Second Ri
century arose St. Colette, who reformed
nee, and added to the First Rule cei
constitutions in force in the majority of the convents
to-day. At the same tin no of Siena waa
convents in luly, and rather later in Spain
re founded, who are allied to the
at. Then, in 1540, Mother Mary Longo of Naples
54 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
introduced what is known as the Capuchin reform, by
adding to the primitive rule constitutions similar to St.
Colette's, and putting the convents under the jurisdiction
of the Capuchini. Then, in the seventeenth century,
came Cardinal Barberini, who founded the Alcantarines
by adding to the strict rule of St. Clare the solitude and
silence approved by St. Peter of Alcantara. The nuns in
this Order live apart in cells, and do not work in a com-
munity room ; all their communications are by signs —
they add the isolation of the Carthusian into the Fran-
ciscan rule. It is but a small branch ; there can never
be many women called to this life. It will be remembered
that Edward VII of England visited a community of
Alcantarines near Biarritz shortly before his death, and
was much interested in their agricultural labours, their
method of prostrating and their powers of silence. These
are all but branches of one tree.
I propose to give here merely the First Eule of St.
Clare, and then the constitutions of St. Colette. They
are taken from the Handbook for the use of the Sisters
of the Monastery of the Most Holy Cross in Rome, and
bear date 1728.
First Rule op the Nuns op St. Clare, given by their
Father, St. Francis, and confirmed by Innocent IV.
Bull of Pope Innocent IV upon the Rule of St. Clare.
Innocent, Bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his
beloved daughters in Jesus Christ, Clare the abbess, and
the other sisters of the monastery of St. Damiano at Assisi,
salutation and apostolic benediction. The Apostolic See
desires to condescend to the pious wishes and grant the
honest desires of those who ask a favour ; since then we
are humbly requested on your part to confirm your role
of life under which you live in common in one spirit,
vowed to the highest poverty (a rule given you by St.
Francis and willingly accepted), and which our venerable
THE RULE OF THE POOR ( TAKES 55
Bishop of Ostia and Velletri has approved,
> one letter from the same Bishop gives com-
plete! > : it is hereby ordained and apostolically confirmed
oYtd Our ear is inclined to your prayer, we
rm the letters of the said Bishop by our apostolic
authority, and solemnly sanction the said Bole.
In th> name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Am.
Chapter I— Op Obedience.
Ben commences the Bole and Form of Life of the
Order of the Poor Sisters which the Blessed Francis
tuted and ordained, the which principally is to
observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, livu
obedience, without property, and in chastity. (
on worthy servant of Christ and little flower of St.
Francis, promises obedience and reverence to Pope
<ent and his canonical successors, and to the CI
•me. And since in the beginning of her conversion
she and her sitters promised obedience to the Blessed
Francis, they promise like obedience to his successors.
And the other sisters are bound always to obey the suc-
cessor!) of the Blessed Francis, and of Sister Clare and the
other abbesses canon ically elected who shall succeed her.
Chapter II— On Novices.
If any one by divine inspiration come to us wishing to
observe our Rule, the abbess must ask the consent of sll
the sisters, and if the majority consent she may receive
f she have leave of the Lord Cardinal Protector. And
when the time comes for her to enter the abbess shall
nine her carefully as to the Cstholic Faith and the
8acraments of the Church. And if she believes and faith-
56 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
fully holds these things, and undertakes to observe them
to the end, and if she is not married, or being married
if her husband has entered an Order with the authority
of the Bishop of his diocese and has vowed continence,
and there being no other impediment to her keeping of
the Rule, such as great age, or infirmity of mind or
body ; let the manner of our Life and Eule be clearly told
to her. If this being done she still desire to be a sister,
let her be told in the words of the Holy Gospel : "Go, and
sell all that thou hast in this world," and let her distribute
it to the poor for the love of Christ ; and if she cannot
reasonably do this or possesses nothing it is enough that
she so wills. The abbess and all the' sisters must guard
against being solicitous for or thinking about these tem-
poral things, and must leave her free to give liberally of
her goods as the Lord- inspires her. And if it happens
that she demand counsel, let them send her to some God-
fearing person, by whose advice the goods may benefit the
poor.
This being done let her hair be cut round, and her
secular dress put aside, and give her three tunics and a
cloak. And from that hour do not let her go out of the
monastery save for some useful, manifest, reasonable and
probable cause.
And when the year of her probation is finished, she
shall be received under obedience, promising to observe
perpetually our form of life and our poverty.
No one shall be veiled during the time of probation, and
for avoidance of fatigue when serving, the sisters may
possess a small and convenient cloak.
The abbess must be discreet in providing garments
according to the needs of persons, times and places ; and
according to the country and the cold. The abbess must
be solicitous to provide a novice-mistress from amongst
the most discreet in the monastery, who shall diligently
instruct them and train them in all holy conversation and
humble ways according to our form of life and profession.
TH F THI ffl I I aBBfl 57
one can be received into the monastery except
according to our form of profession.
r love of tbe sweet >ild who was wrapt
waddling clothes and laid in a manger, and for
Holy Mother, I pray, admonish and exhort
all my sisters to ever clothe themselves in vile garments.
teh III— Of the Divine Office. Confession and
Communion.
<> sisters who can read shall ssy tbe office according
be custom of the Friars Minor; therefore they may
breviaries and read tbe same, without singing,
those who for any reasonable csusc cannot read I
•m repeat their Paternosters, like the other
sisters. Those who cannot read must say twenty
roosters for Matins, five for Lauds, seven for Prime,
e, Sext and Nones, twelve for Vespers, and seven
Those who can read are bound to say the
Office of the Dead according to the Breviary, and those
who cannot read shall ssy instead at Vespers and Matins
seven Paternosters and the Requiem AEternam. When
I the monastery dies those who cannot read
shall say fifty Paternosters and a Requiem JSternam for
opoae of her soul, and tbe others shall say tbe Office
of the Dead.
The sisters shall fast st all times, but on the Nativity
<»f <>ur Saviour Jesus Christ they may take two meals, no
r what dsy the feast may fall on. The abbess may
fully dispense the feeble, and in time of manifest
necessity the sisters are not bound to bodily fasting.
th the leave and licence of the abbess sll the sisters
shall confess at least twelve times a year, taking care to
rd themselves against using any words which do not
tig to the confession, or are necessary for the salvation
ouls. They should communicate at least seven
58 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
times a year, namely on the Nativity of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, Holy Thursday, Easter, Pentecost, the Annuncia-
tion, the Feast of St. Francis, and All Saints.
Chapter IV— The Election of the Abbess.
For the election of the abbess the sisters must observe
the canonical form. They must procure the presence of
the General or Provincial of the Order of Friars Minor,
who with the words of God shall gather them to concord
and to seek the common good in the choice they have to
make. And none shall be elected who is not professed,
and if one be elected and given the office who is not pro-
fessed, the sisters shall not obey her until she has made
her profession of life and of poverty. And if in process of
time it shall appear to all the sisters that the one chosen
does not sinUce for their service and for the common good ,
then must the sisters according to the aforesaid form elect
another more capable of acting as abbess and mother.
She who is elected shall consider what burden she has
taken upon her, and to whom she must render account
of the flock under her charge. Let her be solicitous to
be first in all virtues and holy customs, that the sisters
may be moved to obey her, not because of her office, but
through love and without fear. Let her guard against
private friendships, lest in showing partiality for one she
give scandal to the others. She shall console sisters in
affliction and give good counsel in trouble ; thus the
oppressed shall find a remedy and the weak not be over-
come by depression. In all things she must live the
common life, but chiefly in the church, dormitory, refec-
tory and infirmary, and in clothing; and let her see that
her vicar does the same. Once a week at the least the
abbess must hold a chapter with all the sisters, and she
and they ought humbly to accuse themselves of all their
public faults and negligences. At the same time the
and all the sisters should consult about those things
THK IU If THK POOR CLARES 59
h have to do with the usefulness and probity of the
for the Lord often reveals great things to the
least amongst us. Let no grave debt be made without
of all the sisters and of manifest necessity,
and let it be made through a lawyer. The abbess and
sisters shall not receive any deposit in the monastery, for
from this cause may arise disturbances and scandals. To
conserve the bond of mutual love and peace let all
officials of the monastery be elected ; in the same way let
at least eight of the most discreet asters be elected of
whom the abbess must take counsel in what appertains
to one form of life. The sisters may, and ought <if it
appears useful and expedient), to remove the officials and
discreete and elect others in their place.
Chapter V— Or Silence.
From the hour of Compline to that of Tierce, the
shall keep silence — save those that serve outside and they
must always keep silence in the church, dormitory and
refectory and when eating ; except that in the infirmary
lie care and recreation of those who are ill they may
speak discre. iey may, however, always and every-
where ssy what is absolutely necessary in a low voice,
not allowed to the sisters to talk in the parlour
without the presence of two sisters who can hear what is
said. But let none presume to go to the grille without the
presence of at least three sisters appointed by the abbess
or her vicar from amongst the discreet*. The same mode
of talking must be observed by the abbess and her vicar,
let them go seldom to the grille and never to the
Inside the grille a curtain must be placed v
may not be moved. During St. Martin's Lent and the
Greater Lent no one must speak in the parlour, unless to
;>rie8t for confession, or for some other manifest neces-
this is Uft to the prudence of the abbess or her
vicar.
60 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Chapter VI— The Sisters may Possess Nothing.
After our Great and Heavenly Father by His grace had
illumined my heart, that by the example and teaching of
our Blessed Father, St. Francis, I became penitent, I and
my sisters voluntarily promised obedience to St. Francis
shortly after his conversion. And he, noting that we
feared no poverty, toil, tribulation or worldly scorn, but
rather rejoiced in the same, moved by piety, wrote us a
form of life thus : " Since by the inspiration of Christ you
have made yourselves daughters and servants of the
Supreme King, the Heavenly Father, and have espoused
/yourselves to the Holy Spirit in order to live in evangelical
perfection, I will and promise, for me and for my
brethren, ever to have a diligent care and special solicitude
for you, as for them." This promise he diligently kept
all his life, and wished it always to be kept by his friars.
And since he did not wish us at any time to fall away
from that life of sublime poverty which we had embraced ,
nor those who came after us, on another occasion shortly
before his death he wrote us his last wish, saying : "I,
poor Brother Francis, desire to follow the life and poverty
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His Holy Mother, and
persevere in the same till death. And I pray you all, my
sisters, and do counsel you, to live always in saintly
poverty. And guard well lest any by doctrine or advice
att< mpt to draw you away from it."
And since I and my sisters have ever been solicitous to
keep this promise of holy poverty which we made to our
Lord God and to the Blessed Francis, there is an obliga-
tion on the abbesses who shall succeed me in office and
on all the sisters to keep it inviolate and never receive
any possessions or property themselves, nor through an
intermediary, nor anything that can reasonably be called
property, save so much land as necessity requires for the
decency and seclusion of the monastery ; and this land
Til II OF THE POOH ( LAHKS «1
I be used except m a garden to supply the needs
Chapter VII— Of Wore.
.<• titters to whom our Lord bat given the grace to
work shall labour faithfully and devotedly after Tierce at
it decent and useful to the community, so that idle-
ness, the enemy of the tool , may not paralyze the
prayer and devotion, to which all temporal things
should be subservient. And the manual labour must be
assigned to each at Chapter by the sbbess or her vicar in
presence of all the sitters. In the same way let suns
be distributed that are sent to the sisters by any one, so
each may make claim in common. And these things
shall be distributed by the abbess or her vicar with the
aid of the discreeta.
i hi \ HI— Of Goods in Common and of Illness.
b sisters must not appropriate to themselves bouse,
or lodging, or anything ; but like pilgrims and strangers,
serving the Lord in these times in poverty and humility,
hem beg confidently for alms; nor need they be
ashamed, for our Lord made Himself poor in this world
ur take. This it that highest state of poverty, dear
sisters, which has made you heiresses and queens of the
of heaven— has made you poor in goods, but
te. Let that be your portion which leads to
to that cling more closely than aught else
beneath the skies, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
No sister may receive or tend letters, or give anything
monastery for any cause, without the per-
mission of the abbess ; nor must she take in anything, not
red by the abbess, without special permission. And
62 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
if her father or mother or other relations send a sister
gifts, the abbess shall give them to her if she need them,
but if she need them not she should charitably give them
to those who do need them. If money is sent, the abbess,
with the aid of the discreets, shall use it to provide
necessaries.
The abbess is strictly bound to make charitable and
compassionate provision for the sick according to the pos-
sibility of the place, and to make inquiry as to what
utensils, food and other necessaries their infirmities
require. Because it is an obligation on all the sisters to
serve and care for the sick as they would themselves wish
to be cared for if they were taken ill. And let each freely
make known her necessities, for if a mother love and
nurture her daughter according to the flesh, how much
more solicitous should a religious be to care for her
spiritual sister.
The sick are permitted the use of a mattress of straw
and a feather pillow for the head ; and those who need
woollen coverlets may have them. The sick may speak
edifying words to those who visit them from without in
order to console them. But it is not intended that other
sisters who have leave to speak should accost the visitors
save in the presence of two discreets ; and this applies to
the abbess and her vicar.
Chapter IX— Of Penances.
If any sister at the instigation of the enemy shall sin
mortally against the form of our profession, the abbess
or other sisters shall admonish her the first two or three
times; and if she does not amend, but continues con-
tumacious, she shall dine on bread and water on the floor
of the refectory in the presence of all the sisters ; or the
abbess may inflict still greater punishment. And so long
m she is contumacious let all pray to God to enlighten
THE R\ >F THB POOR i I Mil - -.:;
rteart and make her penitent. Uut the abbess and the
■■ton most guard against being angry or perturbed by
sinner, for wrath and worry hinder charity m them-
■elves and in other*. If it should happen (which God
thai through words or otherwise quarrel and
scandal should arise between sisters, let the one who is
at once, before she offers her gift of
r to Ood, not only throw herself at the feet of the
I ask forgiveness, but also supplicate her prayers
»rd for pardon : and that sister shall remember
vords of our Lord that if we do not forgive from the
heart, neither will the Heavenly Father forgive us, and
■he shall freely pardon her sister sll the wrong she has
don.
a sisters who serve outside the monastery shall not
stay out long except of manifest necessity, and they shall
modestly and speak Utile, so that those who see
them shall be edified by their behaviour. Above all they
must guard against dealings and conferences with sus-
d persons. They most not set ss godmothers to
either males or females, lest occasion arise for scandal or
trouble : nor most they presume to repeat in the monas-
tery the news of the world. And they are inviolably
bound to hold secret all that is said and done in the
monastery, lest there should possibly be scandal. And if
one through simplicity shall offend in these two
:*, let the abbess mercifully impose a penance; but
if the fault is repeated the abbess shall take counsel with
l isc recto and award a proportionate punishm.
Chapter X— Visitations op Abbess.
The abbess shall visit and admonish her sisters and
correct them with humility and charity, not commanding
them anything contrary to their conscience, or against
our form of profession. And let the sisters who are under
64 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
her remember that for love of God they have given up
their own wills, and are therefore strictly obliged to obey
the abbess in all those things they have promised to
observe — so long as they are not contrary to their con-
science nor the Rule. The abbess must behave to them
with the familiarity of a lady with her maidens ; for in
truth it ought to be that she is at once the mistress and
the servant of all the sisters. I admonish and exhort all
the sisters in Jesus Christ that they guard against pride,
vainglory, envy, avarice, and all care and anxiety as to
this world ; and against distractions, grumblings, discords
and divisions. Let them always be solicitous to maintain
amongst themselves that oneness of good-will which is
the bond of perfection.
Those who do not know how to read should not be
curious to learn, but should consider this, that above all
things they should desire to have the spirit of the Lord
and its holy workings ; praying always with a pure heart
for humility and patience under tribulations and infirm-
ities; loving those who rebuke and abash them, for our
Lord says : " Blessed are they that are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,"
and "He that shall persevere to the end shall be saved."
Chapter XI— The Portress.
The portress should have sober manners and discreet,
and be of a suitable age. If she is assigned a companion,
which may be necessary, let her be able to fill the office
of portress in all things. Let the door be closed with two
iron catches, with good bolts and bars; and at night it
must be locked with two keys, one of which must be in
the charge of the portress and the other of the abbess. In
the daytime the door must not be left without a guard , and
must be kept locked with one key. Be diligent to see that
THK RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 65
loor is nev. pen, save when it cannot con-
. be helped.
r must the door be opened wide enough for entrance
to any one not bearing the licence of the Pope or Cardinal,
nor must any one enter the monastery before sunrise or
sunset, nor may the sisters permit any one to remain
sunset, unless for a manifest, reasonable and inevit-
csuse. If it is necessary for workmen to enter, let
the abbess place a suitable person in charge of the door
to open to the workmen , but to no one else. The sisters
must guard against being seen by those who thus enter of
ity.
Chapter XII— Or thi Visitor.
isitor shall always belong to the Order of Friars
Minor, as our Cardinal commands ; he most be honest and
discreet and of known piety. His office is to correct in
M \\< II m in others, any excesses committed
i of profession. He msy stand at the
h manner thai he can be seen, and talk
liberally with one or more sisters at a time about what
i tains to his office as visitor, as be may judge
expedient. The confessor may not enter the monastery
d cases of necessity, and when he is in let him
remain in an exposed place where he can be seen by
re. And the right of entry is to confess the sick who
cannot otherwise be confessed, and to give them com-
munion; and to give Extreme Unction, and say the
Office for the Departing Soul. The sisters are bound to
have for then protector that cardinal of the Church who
is appointed by the Pope to the Friars Minor ; that, ever
subject and prostrate at the feet of Holy Church and
constant iu the Catholic Faith, they may observe the
rty and humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of
Holy Mother.
66 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Here finishes the rule of the Poor Ladies of St. Clare.
The following is the conclusion of the bull which confirms
the Rule-
To no one is it permissible to infringe in any way this
our Letter of Confirmation, or to presume to contravene
it. But if any one should dare attempt so to do, let him
know that he will thereby incur the indignation of
Almighty God and of His blessed apostles Peter and
Paul.
Given at Assisi the 9th day of August, in the 11th year
of our pontificate.
Statutes and Constitutions of the Poor Sisters of
the Order of Mendicants, which is the second
Order of St. Francis under the First Rule of St.
Clare ; together with the institutions and reforma-
tions of the Blessed Collette, reformatrice of the said
Order.
Which constitutions were made with the apostolic
authority of Fra Guglielmo da Casale, Minister-
General, and are the necessary explanation of the
First Rule given by St. Francis and approved by
Pope Gregory IX and Pope Innocent IV ; the which
Rule was observed by the sisters drawn to Colette,
and also by others who lived under the governance of
the fathers of the Order of St. Francis.
Fra Guglielmo da Casale, servant and Minister-General
of the Order of Friars Minor, Doctor in Theology, to his
devout sister in Christ, Sister Colette, foundress of many
monasteries of the Poor Ladies of the Order of St. Clare,
Minoresses — monasteries already recently started in
France, and to be founded later in the same manner
and under the same rule : to the foundress and to the
abbess of these monasteries, and to all the sisters present
and future, salutations in Jesus Christ, the Spouse of
Virgins.
II! >F THE POOR CLARIS 67
ie merits of the noble and admirable virgin Chiara.
be counsels of holy poverty and of St. Francis,
ised greatly and added to the splendours of 1
and the fruition of these merits of the virgin,
e of Jesus Christ, are of perpetual and immortal
md make clear not only to those who followed
conformed to the leading of her blessed spirit, but
to draw faithful Christians to God, as witness
the great number of virgins and widows who in these
- seek the odour of sanctity and leave the tempestuous
seas century for the portal of peaceful religion.
recognize all these things with great joy, and give
ks to Almighty God, who through feeble natures and
in spite of faults, by a divine mercy raises up new flowers
•llow the rule and form of life instituted by our
r, 8t. Francis, and admirably followed by our
glorious mother, Clare. Their fervour desires certain
tions with regard to the constitutions, that they may
be worthy imitator* of their mother and share in her
merits.
Seeing which, I send to our daughter in Christ, Sister
tiead not only of the many in France, but mother
of all the daughters of this profession, what she has
hi. .1 in the way of directions and constitutions for
all her daughters m Christ. Wherefore being touched by
your humble prayers snd by theirs, we send our apostolic
powers to all the abbesses and sisters of those monasteries
•led through the merits given you by God, snd to all
other monasteries to be founded in the same form, these
•ns and constitutions to be by them per-
illy observed. And you should bold these cons
in reverence, for they were made after much
deliberation, and were submitted to bis Eminence the
Lord Cardinal of Santa Croce and of St. Angelo, Legate
of the Apostolic Chair, and President of the Sacred
Council, and by many doctors of theology and fathers
noted for science and
r 2
68 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Firstly, it might be a matter of doubt to the sisters as
to whether they are obliged to observe as precept the
whole of the Holy Gospel for the profession of their
manner of life ; since at the beginning are these words :
The rule and manner of life of the Order of the Poor
Ladies, instituted and ordained by the Blessed Francis,
is to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living
in obedience, without possessions and in chastity.
Being desirous of providing for the consciences of the
sisters and of removing as far as possible every doubt
from their minds, we reply to such doubts in conformity
with the reply made by many supreme pontiffs in the
declaration of the Kule of the Minor Brothers; that is,
that the sisters for the profession of their manner of life
and rule are not held to the observance of the whole of
the Holy Gospel, but only to those things that are in the
Rule and in such manner as they are there put forth.
Therefore, since in the manner of life and in the Rule
many Gospel counsels are expressed, some under words
of precept, either affirmative or negative or equivalent,
we declare that the sisters are bound to observe them as
precepts.
Other counsels of the Gospel are therein expressed not
in the manner aforesaid, but as words of admonition or
of exhortation or of information, and we declare that they
are not bound to these otherwise than as to admonitions,
exhortations and information.
And although the sisters are not bound by rule except
to the aforesaid, nevertheless they must endeavour to
observe the others also, and the more so that, despising
all the things of this world and being made imitators of
bo great a mother, they have elected to follow in the
footsteps of Christ, and to walk in the way of the perfec-
tion of the Gospel , making of themselves a sweet-smelling
sacrifice and a pleasing burnt-offering to God.
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 69
japteb I— Of the Estbancb into Rhligk
It was written in the beginning of Chap. II of the 1
Manner of Life, that the abbess, with the consent of
- he sisters, and having the licence of the
1 Cardinal Protector * of the Order, could receive any
one aa sister in the convent ; but teeing that the govern-
same Order has been entirely committed by
- nt I V and other supreme pontiffs to the Minister-
General and to the provincial ministers of the Order of
Minor Brothers, we declare and we say that the
star-General in the whole Order, and the provincial
tern in their provinces, or their trustees, are to give
i licence to the abbess that she may receive as sisters
the women who flee from the world, being on that account
md fit according to the substance of the Boles
We order further, according to the
words of Pope Innocent IV, that to every one who
deserves to be received, snd before she shall change her
e and enter into the religion, shall be clearly told all
the hard things and bitter through which one goes to God ;
»lso all that whirl) in this religion it will be neces-
sary for her to observe, in order that she may not i
wards excuse herself under pretext of ignorance. More-
over, we desire that no one be received who is not qualified
and capable of the observance of this life snd rule, either
because of too great age, or because of some infirmity, or
because of a foolish simplicity, because through such
persons the rigour of the Rule and its observance becomes
frequently relaxed and disordered.
r. we desire and ordain that, concerning the
persons who are to be received into the Order, the sisters
hold and observe this custom, which is: when any one
1 By this ie meant the present deahraHon of the convents subject to
the government of the Regulars, because if they ere to be subject to
the government of the Bishop, to him or to hie Vicar will it appertain
la sjva mm* ttoasss,
70 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
is to be received, they shall send for advice to a few
persons, fearful of God and lovers of the poor, outside
the Order,1 according to whose counsel shall be
given to the poor the goods of her who is received ;
but according to the Council of Trent, Sec. 25, Chap.
XVI, this may only be done two months before the
profession.
And let the abbess and all the other sisters beware that,
neither for themselves nor for others, they receive in any
manner whatsoever anything of the possessions of the
one who enters, as is the will of the Kule in Chap. II,
and of the Sacred Council of Trent in the same place,
in order that those who judge others by outward things
shall not be obliged to judge them with a sinister eye,
unless the novice of her own accord wish to give to the
sisters as alms as to other poor a few things to alleviate
and succour their urgent necessity ; and this according as
it shall proceed from her own will, seeing that the rule
and manner of life demand that she who enters shall
be free, and shall do with her belongings as God shall
inspire her. Let the abbess and all the sisters again
beware that in receiving to the Order they act in any
way for themselves, or permit others to make any agree-
ment whatsoever with regard to the temporal goods of
such a reception, in whom can be noted any species of
simony.
Neither is it permitted to her who enters to reserve
anything in the world; but, entirely divested of things
terrestrial, let her offer herself free to the cross.
And if perchance it should happen that the novice
cannot in any way distribute her goods to the poor before
her profession, being prevented by worthy considerations
and urgent reasonable cause, she shall leave the distribu-
1 The present .Constitution is intended for those who have absolute
power orer their own affairs, because for the others it will be enough
*o make the renunciation of theirs according to the form of the Holy
Council of Trent
nil OF THE POOB 1 LABIS 71
tion of her goods to tome person fearing God, who in her
place shall give them to the poor.
And in order that the sisters, in accepting into the
r women who flee from the world, may proceed in a
ordered manner and without error, we ordain that
no one be received to this rule and manner of life unless
it be clearly seen that she comes principally to religion
to serve God snd to save her soul, moved, urged and
octed in this desire by the Holy Spirit, snd not con-
strained by the threats of relatives, or by other corporal
necessity, from living in the worl-l
We ordain, further, that the novice, before she attires
herself, be examined according to the Rule in the begin-
of Chsp. II. And also let it be seen to that she be
examined by the Bishop or his Vicar, as is commended in
the Council of Trent, Sec. 26, Chap. XVII, before the
profession.
■ refore let the abbess not omit, at least a month
before the profession, to give notice of it to the Bishop or
his Vicar. Besides this, we desire that women stained
by sny public disgrace, unsound in body or in mind,
suspected of some fault, or who have debts, shall r>
manner be received into the Order. And should by
chance the novice be excommunicated or prohibited, let
her, before she take the dress and as soon as possible, be
absolved from such censure by suitable methods ; and this
can be done in virtue of the privileges conceded to the
rof the Minor Brothers and of St. Clare With
however, that she shall know that in returning to the
world without making her profession she shall fall under
the same censure as that from which she was absolved st
her entry.
' novice, if being otherwise than in a free position,
must be received with the permission of her mast.
And no one shall be received before they are eighteen
years of age, although the Council of Trent, 8ec. 25,
72 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Chap. XV, concedes that profession may be made when
the sixteenth year is passed— because the weight of
religion and the harshness of our life could not be borne
earlier than that.
We ordain, further, that no one be received as a nun
of the choir who is over twenty-five years of age, except-
ing such who are so far able to read that, without great
trouble on their part or on that of others, they are able
to learn to say the Divine Office. And no one shall make
profession if she cannot say the Divine Office competently
by herself or at least with others.
No one is to be received who is over forty years of age,
unless she be a very singular person, and unless by her
reception great edification accrue to the people and to the
church ; she being, however, of such health and vigour
that she may be able to bear the weight and harshness
of the Order.
Besides this, no one professing another Order shall be
received without the permission of her abbess, unless
beyond that she were privileged by the Apostolic Seat.
And we declare, further, that, should any novice be in
doubt as to whether, on account of some impediment or
reasonable cause, she should make her profession, when
the year of probation is over, the time of such profession
may be deferred at the will of the superior, with the
consent of the novice, as has been declared by the Most
Eminent Cardinals of the Sacred Congregation above the
Council of Trent; but in such a case the abbess must
declare in public, the nuns being present, that the novice,
although the year is over, does not acquire any right
whatever to the Order, nor is to be considered professed,
until the cause (or impediment) being determined with
mature deliberation, and the voice of the nuns being
taken, she shall make solemn profession in the hands of
the superior according to the custom of the Order; and
the same declaration must be made to the novice.
Further, we desire that the reception of the novices
Tin: RULE OF Tin POOH CLABES 78
into the convent and to the profession shall take place
,11 the sistere being present, especially called
and convoked.
Manner which is to be observed in clothing the
ices by the sisters who live according to the First
St. Clare and Reform of the Blessed Colletta.
in (I. thing the novices this manner is to be observed -
th. said novice most have made a general
md have been absolved from all such
communications and ecdesiastical censure as through
the privileges conceded by the most high Pontiffs to the
r she may be absolved from. And if there being no
diment and she appearing fit for the Order, and they
ig her, the ceremony shall take
place in the morning; they shall place the clothes pre-
pared for her before the altar before the priest begins
Haas; an<l if it shall take place at another time of the
day, it does not matter so that the clothes have bean
placed before the altar.
1. the Mass being over, the novice shall come to the
screen, together with all the nuns; and the superior, or
some other of the Order who is to dress her, standing
behind the screen, shall, if it seem good to him, discourse
D the contempt of the world, of the advantages
lipion. or else of the perfection of that state into
h she is about to enter, and of the conditions and
purpose and fervour which are therein to be sought for—
or of other similar things.
his being done, the one who is to attire the
ce, having the authority of absolution according to
our privileges, may, if it seem good to him, absolve her
from her sins, for greater security, particularly if she have
not been absolved from them in the sacramental confes-
sion made beforehand ; wherefore the novice, Inkling
before the screen and holding a lighted candle in her
74 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
hand, shall say the Confiteor Deo, etc. And he who is to
attire her shall give her absolution, saying—
Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimissis omnibus
peccatis tuis perducat te ad vitam seternam.
R. Amen.
V. Indulgentiam, absolutionem , et remissionem
omnium peccatorum tuorum tribuat tibi omnipotens et
misericors Dominus.
R. Amen.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His great compassion and
by the merits of His most holy Passion, absolve thee and
fill thee with His grace; and I, by the authority of the
privileges and by the grace conceded to this Order by the
most high Pontiffs, do absolve thee from every sentence
of excommunication, great or less, if thou hast fallen
under any such, and from any prohibition, if to such
thou hast been subjected ; and I restore thee to the sacra-
ments of the most Holy Mother Church and to all lawful
practices. In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
After giving the absolution, the priest shall bless the
vestments, saying —
Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
R. Qui fecit ccelum et terrain.
V. Sit nomen Domini benedictum.
R. Ex hoc nunc, et usque in saeculum.
V. Domine exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor mens ad te veniat.
V. Dominus vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
Or emus.
Deus Pater omnipotens, qui per legiferum Moysen
famulum tuum ministris Ecclesise oub typo passionis
prise® legis praeceptor dedisti ; hoc genus indumenti, quod
88. Patres nostri 8 Franciscus, et S. Clara, et alii
Till. RULE OF THE POOR ( I \KES 75
Ecclesia? Baocto Mllliewi td innocent ia- <t humih: •
mi sororea abrenunciantea bsgcuIo Carre ennxerunt ;
ita benedicere t et aanctincare digneris, at ha* Ancilla
tua, que ea cupit induere, cxuta ab omni sonde vitiorum.
■mentis aanctarum virtutum ea induatur; qua-
i ab omni perturbatione callidi inaidiatoria doincopa
protecU, in Eoolaaii tua aancta da die in diem ronoietur.
latum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
he Benediction being pronounced, the clothe*
shall be sprinkled with holy water, and when this is done
the following prayer shall be said over the novice ■
Orotic.
Deus, qui in Abrahs? famuli tui opere, humano generi
obediential exemplar pnebuiati ; concede huic famule tua),
et sua? voluntatis pravitatem frangere, et tnorum pnscep-
torum rectitudinem in omnibus adimplere. Per Christum
Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Oremmt.
Omnipotena aempiterne Deus. respioe propitius ad
preoea Eoclesiaa turn, et huic Ancilla) tua\ quam ad novara
gratiam rocare dignatus ea ; concede Domine. ut fit in ea
simplex affect us, et fortia obedient ia perse verandi , pax
perpetua, mens pura, rectum et mundum cor, voluntas
bona, eonacientia aancta, compunctio spiritual in, virtus
-.DiiniT, vita immacuiata.conaummatio irrepnebensibilia ; ut
viriliter currena, in tuum introire regnum fo?liciter mere-
atur. Qoj vivis, et regnas in eecula aa?culorum. Amen.
I, the prayers being said, holy water shall be
>kled over the novice. Afterwards the said novice
shall kneel before the abbess, and they shall cut off her
hair. And while they are cutting it they shall say toe
Lgnum mundi, et omnem ornatum soeculi contempsi,
76 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
propter amorem Domini mei Jesu Christi, repeating the
same until it is cut off. And, this being honestly done , they
shall commence to undress her, and with every garment
that they take off they shall say : The Lord put off from
thee the old Adam, with all his works. Amen. And, hav-
ing done this, they shall immediately clothe her with the
consecrated garments, and with every garment that they
put on they shall say : The Lord clothe thee with a new
being, which, like unto God, shall be created in justice,
truth and holiness ; and at the end they shall reply :
Amen. And, the novice being clad, the abbess shall begin
the Psalm : Levavi oculos meos in montes, which being
ended they shall say : Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison. Pater noster.
Et ne nos inducas, etc.
V. Salvam fac ancillam tuam.
R. Deus meus sperantem in te.
V . Mitte eas auxilium de sancto.
R. Et de Syon tuere earn.
V. Domine exaudi orationem meam, etc.
Or emus.
Domine Jesu Christe pastor bone, qui animam tuam
pro ovibus posuisti ; fac hanc Ancillam tuam sacro habitu
indutam, ante conspectum tuum cum justitia vivere, et
ad misericord iam tuam cum fructu bonorum operum per-
venire concede ; tribueque ei in fide obedientiam , in labori
virtutem, in affectu devotionem, in actu prosperitatem,
in victu sumcientiam, in pace laetitiam, in conversatione
gratiam, in tribulatione patientiam, in languoribus sani-
tatis tuae medicinam ; quatenus in hoc prsesenti tempore
per scmitam justitiae cum felicitate percurrat ; ut te ven-
turum judicem in novissimo die cum magna hilaritate
suscipiat.
Qui cum Patre, etc.
After the prayer, the abbess, or whoever dresses her,
THE RULE OF THE POOH CLARES 77
shall begin the hymn reator Spiritua, which being
J she shall say the following veraides and prayers—
Connrma hoc Deus, quod operatus es in nobis.
A templo sancto too, quod est in Hierusalem.
V, l'ost partum Virgo inviolata permanaiati.
R. Dei genetrix intercede pro nobis.
V. Ora pro nobis Beate Pater Francisoe.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibos Christi.
Ora pro nobis Beata Clara.
ligni efficiamur promisaionibus Christi.
V. Orate pro nobis omnes Sancti et Sencta Dei.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
V . Domine ^xaiyti orationem meam.
clamor meat id te veniat.
Ora-
Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritua illustratione
docuisti ; da nobis in eodem Sptritu recta sapere, et de
ejus semper cwmanlitinns fsatot.
Concede nos famulos tuos qucsumus Domine Deus,
perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere, et gloriosa
Beats) Maria? semper Virginia intercesaiooe, a pnesenti
ran tristitia, et SBterna perfrui totitia. Deus, qui
Rocleaiam tuam beati Franciaci mentis faetu nova? prolia
aniplificaa ; tribue nobis, ex ejus imitatione terrena
despicere, et oaaleatium gaudiorum semper participatione
Famulos tuos, qussomus, Domine Beatc Virginia tu»
Clara votivam conimemorationem recensontes, ccBleatnim
gaudiorum sua facias interventione participes, et tin
Unigeniti cohaaredes.
Omnes Sancti mi, qusasumus, Domine, nos ubique
uiijuYiitt ; ut dum eorum merits recolimus, patrocinia
sentiamus, Per Christum Dominum, etc.
)r this being done, the nonce shall be conducted to
■race all the nuns in order, beginning with the abbess.
78 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Afterwards the novice, returning to the screen, shall kneel
down, and the one who has clothed her shall bestow on
her another name, or shall confirm the one that she has ;
and if it seem well to him, he may address her and explain
to her the great mysteries and meaning which are in the
things and in the ceremonies just ended, and particularly
in the cutting of the hair and the change of garment, and
in the alteration of the name. And, this being done, the
one who has dressed her shall consign her and recommend
her to the mistress who is to instruct her in spiritual
things, in the religious life, and in the observance of the
Rule, constitution and ceremonies of the Order, etc.
Further, we ordain, when any one is received as a
novice, that when she is dressed all her hair shall be cut
from her head in a circle above the ears, and shall not
thenceforward in any manner be kept long ; but at certain
times in the year, according as the abbess shall command,
all the sisters shall do likewise, unless, because of some
weakness of the head, it is judged unwise.
The Manner and Form of the Profession of the Sisters
of St. Chiara of the First Rule, and Eeform of the
Blessed Colletta.
In the profession of the sisters this manner is to be
observed —
The novice must have made the general confession,
and have the votes and be fit for the Order and able to
observe the Rule, knowing all that she has to promise.
And, there being no other impediment, the veil shall be
placed above the altar, on the day when she wishes to
make her profession, while Mass is being said and until
it is ended, if this can be conveniently done, and if not, it
does not matter; but after Mass, or at some other con-
venient time, she who wishes to make the profession,
together with all the nuns, shall come to the screen, and
the confessor or superior, standing on the other side of the
screen, shall give her a few good admonitions, saying—
mi: rule ok nn: poor c lakes 79
My daughter, •!"•' tb a wish to make profession? Hast
ught well about all this? Hast thou thought
(pondered on) of that which thou hast to promise? '
. -ourage, with the grace of God, suffice thee in its
rvance? Dost thou make this profession freely and
taneously? Art thou eighteen years of age? Dost
! more time to prove thyself and to think on
ings? and other similar words,
the novice answer satisfactorily she shall kneel, \
hted candle in her hand, before the screen, where all
una shall stand who are able to come ; and the novice
(if this appear good to the superior who is present) shall
say : II Confiteor; and he shall give her absolution, aa it
is appointed in the attiring of the novices, saying—
Miaereatur tin. etc Indulgentiam, etc. Our Lord
Jesus Christ by His, etc.
lis being done, the novice shall draw near, and shall
turn ards the abbess, and kneeling with her body, but
mind raised to God, let her clasp her bands,
ng them in the hands of the abbess, and say with her
month the words of the profession, which are—
w and promise to God Almighty, and to
Mary always Virgin, and to St. Francis, to 8t. Clare, and
to all the saints, and to thee, Mother, to serve all the days
y life the rule and life of the Poor Sisters of St.
, to her given by the same 8t. Francis, and approved
'ope Innocei ving in obedience, without pos-
sessions, and in chastity, and serving the convent as
ordained by the constitution of the Order.
And the abbess who receives her shall promise to her
and say —
And I. through Almighty God, if thou observe these
things, promise thee eternal life.
1 all the surrounding sisters shall reply : Amen.
novice shall kneel before the screen,
holding a lighted candle ; and he who receives her shall
bless the veils, saying —
80 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
R. Qui fecit caelum et terrain.
V. Sit nomen Domini benedictum.
R. Ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.
Oratio.
Domine Jesu Christe, qui tegmen nostrae mortalitatis
induere dignatus es ; obsecramus immensam tuae largitatis
abundantiam, ut hoc genus velaminis, quod Sanctus Pater
Franciscus, et Sancti Patres ad innocentiae, et humilitatis
indicium, abrenunciantibus saeculo sororibus fieri sanxe-
runt; ut ita benedicere, t et sanctificare / et digneris ; ut
haec famula tua, quae hoc fuerit usa, te mereatur induere.
Qui vivis, etc.
Or emus.
Deus, qui per coaeternum filium tuum cuncta creasti ;
quique Mundum peccatis inveteratum, per mysterium
sanctae Incarnationis ejus renovare dignatus es ; te sup-
pliciter exoramus, ut ejusdem Domini nostri Jesu Christi
mentis, Spiritus sancti gratiam super hanc famulam
tuam, abrenunciationem saeculi profitentem, clementer
infundere digneris; per quam in spiritu suam mentem
renovare, veterem hominem cum suis actibus exuere, et
novum, qui secundum Deum creatus est, induere mere-
atur. Per eundem Christum, etc.
Then the priest shall sprinkle the veil with holy water.
And, this being done, the priest, or two sisters, shall
begin the following Litany —
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe audi nos.
Christe exaudi nos.
Pater de Coelis Deus, mis.
1 ili Redemptor mundi Deus, mis.
II! F THE POOR CLARES 81
Spirit us Sancte Deua, mis.
8a nitas unus Deus, mis.
Sancta Maria, ora pro e».
Omnea Saocti Boa tor u in spirit uum ordines, orate.
Vpoatoli. et Evangelist*, orate.
Sancte Franciace, ora.
unes Sancti Confessores, orate.
Santa Clara, ora.
Sancta Elizabeth, ora.
Omnea Sancta* Virginee, et Vidua?, orate.
Ab omni malo, libera earn Dom.
sterium Sancta? Incamationis, Passionis, Resur-
rection is, et Ascensionis turn, libera earn Dotnine.
Peccatorea, te rogamua.
Agnus Dei, qui tollia peccata mundi, ezsudi noa
Dvliiliu-
Agnus Dei, qui tollia peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
| rie eleison.
iste eleison.
rie eleison.
Pater noater.
ne nos inducaa in tentationem.
Sed libera nos a malo.
Salvam fac Ancillam tuam.
I )eus me us •perantem in te.
Mitte e»9 Domine suxilium de Sancto.
le Syon tuere earn.
Domine turris fortitudinis.
R. A facie iniii:
Nihil proficiat inimicus in ea.
iniquitatis non apponat nocere ea).
V. Domine exaudi orationem meam.
H. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
V. Dominii* vobiscum.
R. Et cum Spirit* tuo.
82 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Or emus.
Adesto Domine supplicationibus nostris, et hanc
fain ula in 1 11:1111 . cui in tuo sancto nomine velum sacrae
Religionis imponimus benedicere et dignes ; et per inter-
cessionem Beatissimse et gloriosissimae Virginis Mariae,
et Beatorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, atque Beati
Francisci et Beatae Clarae, et aliorum Sanctorum ; facias
a- vanitate saeculi veraciter converti, et in observantiam
hujus propositi certatim fervere ; ut in tribulationibus,
tentationibus, et angustiis indeficientem facias permanere,
tua vera consolatione valeat respirare ; et juste, et pie,
casteque, per veram humilitatem, et obedientiam, in
fraterna charitate fundata, quod te donante hodie pro-
mittit, fcelicibus perse verantiis compleat, et ad vitam
pervenire mereamur a3ternam. Qui cum Deo Patre, etc.
Immediately the priest or one of the sisters shall begin :
Veni Creator. And while they are singing the hymn, the
priest shall place the veils on her through the little window
where it is customary to communicate, saying : Accipe
Ancilla Christi, sancta Velamina proffesionis tuae sacrum
signaeulum in perpetuum, cum quo feliciter valeas per-
venire ad Regna Coelorum. Per Christum Dominum, etc.
And, this being done, the professed novice shall embrace
all the sisters, beginning with the abbess, and afterwards
shall return to the screen ; and he who has received her
shall admonish her to persevere unto the end, and shall
consign the said novice to the abbess, saying : I recom-
mend to thee this Bride of Christ, that she may be kept
until the Day of Judgment without stain in the sight of
the Most High King; and if at the Day of Judgment,
through any fault or negligence of thine, she has not been
properly instructed, thou wilt have to give a strict account
thereof to the Supreme Judge, Jesus Christ, who liveth
and reigneth world without end. Amen.
Everything being finished, he who receives the novice
to the profession shall say : Confirma hoc Deus, with the
THE RU1 I OF THE POOU i 1 MM
rses sod prayers as above. AU the prayers being
he novice shall give thanks to all the nuns for
having deigned to receiv< the profession and to the
the superior shall admonish her to acknow-
ledge so great s kindness,
Chapter II— Of thi Quality or thi Habit and the
ClOTHBS.
ile says at the end of Chap. II : I beg, admonish
exhort all my sisters to dress themselves always in
-armenta. We ordain that the vileness of the clothes
I appear in the price and likewise in the colour ; and
the same Role in the same chapter says that
the abbess shall allow the one who wishes to enter, (she
having resigned the secular garment,) three tunica and the
cloak thstanding, should the necessity or infirmity
mlition of the person, or the nature of the place or
. compel some to have more than three tonics, we
declare that the abbess, with the advice of discreet per-
sons, may provide them suitably — because the Rule in the
said chapter has these words : Bat the abbess shall
lothea for them discreetly, according to the n
«>f the persons, places and seasons, and according to the
necessity of cold countries. But here it must be noted
the three tunica spoken of in the Rule must not be
of the same scope and kind, because the two interior
s are meant, not for the form of the dress of th.
• . hut for necessity and modesty of the body. And
it is not needful that they be of the same colour. There-
we desire and ordain that the exterior tunic, which
be one worn outside and above, shall be called the
Habit of the Order, without which it is not lawful for the
is to go out in public, neither to sleep without the
same, unless, on account of infirmity or weakness, or other
manifest necessity, the abbess or her vicaress, with the
e 2
84 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
consent of the majority of the discreet ones, shall judge it
better to do otherwise. The length of the habit shall be
such that, being worn, it shall not be longer than the one
who wears it. And whenever the tunic is of the length
of the dress it can serve as a habit. The width is not to
exceed the measure of fourteen spans ; the sleeves are not
to go below the length of the hands. The tunic must be
of humble cloth, but it must not be lined with fur. The
cloak also must be always of vile and coarse cloth, not
gathered at the neck, nor indecently long. And always
and in every garment of the sisters let there appear and
shine forth vileness, austerity and poverty, in the form,
in the cost and in the colour. All the sisters, as well as
the abbess and the other officials, shall be dressed with a
like cloth, and every partiality shall be avoided. The cord
which is the girdle of the sisters shall be common, simple
and far from any rarity. As to the covering of the head,
we ordain that all the sisters, the abbess as well as the
others, who are professed, shall without any difference
bind their heads with all humility, modesty and piety,
thus removing all curiosity and vanity. And in order that
this shall be the better observed by the sisters in every
convent and place, we ordain that the piece of cloth shall
be bound in such a manner that the forehead, with both
cheeks and the chin, shall be for the greater part covered
in such a way that the face cannot in any manner be
completely seen. And the veils and pieces of cloth which
are put on the head and around the neck shall be fashioned
in such a manner that the whole of the head, the breast
and the shoulders shall be for the greater part covered.
We desire, further, that all the veils and cloths shall be
of common, simple and coarse material, so that there shall
always shine forth in them the holy poverty and austerity
of their profession. Nevertheless, we allow that each of
the sisters, with the licence of her abbess, may have two
black veils and two or three white cloths to change, that
cleanliness may be always observed. And let the sisters
Tin RULE OF Tin >H CLARES 85
rneelves in every way from having I >thea
ilk or other costly sj o novice
may wear a black fore the formal profession, unless
have profeaaed in another Order, but shall wear n
i in i Mutable manner, according a*
u shall dispose, and according to the usual mam
Chapter III— Or the Divine Office.
Aa for the Divine Office, whether by night or by day,
in order that it may be amid in the choir in such a manner
aa to be pleasing to the majesty of God, we ordain that
10 beginning of every canonical hour, immediately
the first signal, all the sisters, unices excused for a
legitimate reason by the abbess or her vicarees, shall
meet together in the choir to prepare tb< 1 1 for the
Lord, and shall stay there without smiling, without
tin discourse, ai ous and
vagne glances; in silence, in peace, and with becoming
gravity and reverence let them unitedly peraiat until th<-
<-n<l And let no one presume to leave the choir while the
ue Office is being amid without the permission of the
abbess or her vicaress, or whoever at that time is the chief,
until the whole of the Divine Office is finished.
Again we exhort the same sisters in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ that always and in every place they
aay the Divin Office, entirely, attentively, clearly and
lously; beginning together, pausing together, and
persevering in unity to the end in such a manner that the
Office of the Lord shall be said in a higher key and with
more pauses than that of the Madonna or of the Dead.
As to the manner of ringing for Maes, or at the canon-
ical hours, and aa to the manner of sitting, of kneeling,
owing, of rising, and aa to bow the sisters shall stand
with regard to one another; let this always be done
according to the practice and decree of their own surx
86 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
and according to the convenience of the persons and of
the places. No sister who is able to read, whatever her
situation, shall be absent from the choir ; but all the sisters
shall be obliged to attend Mass and at every canonical
hour, except those who are actually infirm and those who
are waiting on the infirm at that time with permission
of the abbess or of her vicaress ; and, further, with the
exception of those who at the same time are occupied
in the common service of the convent, with the permis-
sion, will and order of the abbess; but the officials shall
endeavour to use such diligence in the expedition of their
offices and services, that these being finished they may
together with the others recite the Divine Office in
church.
The sisters who are not able to read and who are
not occupied in the services of the others, shall like-
wise come to church to say their Paternoster and
their Office, to which they are compelled by the Rule
in Chap. Ill, in some place separated for this purpose
and assigned to them. And if the abbess or vicaress shall
find that any of the sisters are negligent in this matter,
she shall punish her suitably, according to the nature of
the offence ; and in saying the Office , the Rubric of the
Roman Breviary is to be observed. We ordain further,
that at the time of a general interdict the sisters shall
conform to the Church ; provided that the interdict has
been legitimately denounced to them by those to whom
it appertains, or by certain of their messengers or by
letter. Then the sisters, the doors being barred, and
those prohibited and excommunicated being banished from
the church, shall say the Divine Office in the manner in
which the Office of the Madonna is usually said on
ordinary days, not sitting, but standing upright, as is
the custom. And if at the time of the prohibition any
of the sisters or the confessor of the convent should fall
ill, the Holy Communion shall be given to them; and if
they die they shall be buried with great quiet, those pro-
Till. RULE OF Till. POOH CLARES 87
hibited and nvmm mnnicatod being first banished. \
that nothing belonging to the Burial
Service or to the Communion shall be left on
because prayer is very necessary in the service of God
hose who really wish to lead the spiritual lif.
to unite themselves with God in
»ke progress in the holy virtues ; therefore the sisters
must endeavour to pray at all times, and to remain as
ti as possiMr with th. it minds raised to God. Never-
hs it is ordained to this end, that two special hours
shall be set aside each day during the whole year, one in
the evening immediately after evening prayers, and the
other from Easter week until the Nativity of the
Madonna in the morning immediately after Mass; from
Nativity of the Madonna until Easter, after Matins ;
in the morning after the Office and before Mass
shall be said the Litanies, calling on all the saints, who
for our aid are near to the Lord. And in the evening,
aft. r evensong, those of the glorious Virgin shall be
said. And in order to subdue the flesh and that it may
resist the Spirit, and in memory of the most bitter
Passion, and chiefly of the cruel flagellation of our
most sweet Saviour, it is ordained that the sisters shall
use the discipline on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
in the evening immediately after prayers, during the
whole year, and shall say the Miserere, the De profundi*
and the antiphon Christus factus est, with the Orazioni
Respice, and afterwards the 8alve Regina, with five
devout prayers.
Chapter IV— Op Abstinence.
igh, according to the Rule in Chap. Ill, the
sisters must fast at all times, we declare, notwithstanding,
that in times of manifest necessity the sisters are not
bound to corporal fasting. And since they are obliged to
88 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
fast at all times of the year, they must consequently
abstain in all places from eating meat, unless they are ill
and have permission, therefore, from the doctor, in whose
absence the abbess in case of necessity may allow a simple
meat broth to the sisters. But from the Forty Days of
All Saints, from Holy Friday and the Vigils commanded
by Holy Church onwards, they may eat milk food, through
the concession of Pope Eugene IV, and although in the
said Rule is contained this clause, that at the Nativity of
the Lord, on whatever day it may fall, the sisters may
eat twice; nevertheless, we declare that because of this,
meat is not allowed to them on that day ; neither on Sun-
days, on which days they may also eat twice ; and also
on the Sundays in Lent, according to the use and custom
of the Holy Mother Church ; but still, never meat, not
even on the said days.
Further, it is contained in the above-mentioned Chap.
Ill of the Rule, that the abbess shall dispense the
weak as it seems best to her. Concerning the which it
is to be noted that in such dispensation it is not usually
easy to exactly determine the necessity of the age and
of the weakness ; since it frequently happens that some
are stronger at thirteen years of age than others of six-
teen, and some suffer more through a brief and slight
illness than others through a long and serious one.
Wherefore, we exhort them in Christ that they be
prudent in these things, and that according to God and
a right conscience the charity of Christ shine through
them rather than a too indiscreet austerity. But in such
a manner that it shall not be very easy to exempt with-
out real necessity, because very often great relaxations
are made on account of such dispensations.
The abbess or her vicaress may, therefore, with the
consent of the greater part of the discreet, exempt such
weak and infirm ones, and allow them to eat two or three
times a day, when a just and real cause calls for it ; for
whom, according to the necessity or weakness, as much
TH i THE POOR ( LARKS 89
in th« matter of eating as in other things, provision shall
be made according to the necessity. We ordain, further.
the abbess shall take anxious care that of the alms
i to the convent, there shall be provided in common
to the sisters, according to the qual e said alma,
a sufficiency of things necessary; so that they shall not
occasion to desist from the holy enterprise upon
li they have entered on account of the want and
lency of provision in the matter of food, clothes and
other necessary things.
Chapter V— Of Confession, Communion and
CojcFissoa.
In order that purity of heart may reign in the sisters
of this Order, and that fervour and love for the most
Body of Christ our Lord may grow more and more
day, and be greatly kindled ; we desire and ordain
that besides the number quoted in the Rule, which is that
the sisters must confess twelve times in the year with
the permission of the abbess, and besides the number
determined on by the Holy Council of Trent, 8ec. 25,
Chap. X, which ordains that all the sisters shall at least
once a month make a confession of their sins, and take
the most Holy Body of the Lord ; that each of the sisters,
unless she be justly hindered, shall confess twice a week,
besides the seven times contained in the Rule, and shall
•larily communicate twice a week in the Mass by the
! of the confessor. We desire, further, and command
be name of obedience, that no sister, no matter what
shall dare to confess to any >n feasor,
whether regular or secular, whatever his condition, rank,
or dignity, neither under any pretext of grace or privilege
conceded to one or the other, but alone shall confess to
confessor of the convent.
ii conceded, however, according to the determine
90 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of the Holy Council of Trent, Sec. 25, Chap. X, that
they may confess two or three times a year to a confessor
extraordinary, deputed by the superior of the convent;
but the same must offer himself and not be asked for by
the nuns.
Chapter VI— Of the Enclosure.
All the professed sisters who have promised to observe
this manner of life and rule, must observe perpetual
enclosure ; and it shall not any longer be lawful for
them, neither shall permission or facility be conceded to
them during the whole of their life to go outside the
enclosure of their convent, unless it be to the end of
edifying, raising, or reforming some convent of the same
Order ; or in order to escape from some grave inconveni-
ence ; and this with the express permission of the Bishop,
according to the Sacred Council of Trent, Sec. 25,
Chap. V, and in obedience to the minister-general of
the Order of the Minor Brothers, or to the provincial
minister of that province where their convent is built.
And when it shall happen that any of the sisters are sent
outside the enclosure of their convent in the abovesaid
manner, we desire and ordain that they be accompanied
by persons just and fearful of God, and that they go as
quickly as possible to the other convent assigned to them.
And when it is necessary for them to converse with
secular persons, or those belonging to an Order of either
sex, let them remember to mortify themselves, speaking
humbly, and conversing modestly with all, as is proper
for the sisters and daughters of St. Clare.
Similarly, we ordain that a very strong rota shall be
made in every convent, of sufficient height and breadth,
and arranged in such a manner that no person can see
inside the convent through its openings; and that the
sisters can in no way see anything outside. Through the
Tin: RULE of Tin poor CLARES II
b rota things necessary may be received which are
to them as alms. And should it happen that such
things were of such a length and breadth that they are
not able to be convenu ntlv received by way of the rota,
v may be received at the gate of the convent.
the same may be said of things which it is necessary
to send out of the convcr
rly, for greater safety and honesty, as mocli
as for the convent, we ordain that in no con-
• f this Order more than one parlour shall be allowed,
D which two black curtains shall be nailed np so
that the sisters can neither see nor be seen ; nor more
than one grille, which shall alone be used in preaching
>o sisters— when the Chapter is assembled, and for
interviewing the girls who are to be received ; inside of
ti grille shall be hung a black cloth, which can be
raised in order to see the girls. And once again there
shall not be more than one rota or one gate, which shall
be made in public places and in the usual form.
Similarly, we ordain that at the inside boundary of the
convent, opposite to the principal gate, another gate shall
be made, with a strong lock, like the principal gate, and
disposed and arranged in such a manner that the sisters
i n no way able to go to or draw near to the principal
gate ; and strangers standing outside cannot, on account
10 obstacle presented by this second gate, either see
ear the sisters speak through the openings of the
door, if by chance any were there.
kewise, we desire that the gates of the kitchen garden
and of the dormitory shall be always firmly and strongly
locked at night.
And in order that the sisters may be still more secure,
we ordain that none of them may send outside any letter
whatever r closed or open, neither for themselves
or for any other person through the rota, or through any
r place, no matter what the position or office of the
sister. And similarly we desire that by the above
92 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
methods and road may any letter be received, opened, or
read if it have not been first presented to the abbess'
or her vicaress' own hand ; the which letters presented
in this way must be first read by the abbess or her vicaress
before being sent or received by the sisters. And after
such letters as are to be sent outside the convent have
been read by the abbess or her vicaress, they shall seal
them, and having sealed them, they themselves shall give
them, or cause them to be given, to the chief portress.
And should it by chance happen that the abbess or her
vicaress should find in the said letters anything which
ought not to be written or received, they shall in nowise
give them to the sisters to whom they have been sent,
nor send them out of the convent ; and the sisters who
have written such letters shall be severely punished.
Neither is it allowed to the sisters to give any letter into
the hand of any person whatsoever who is to take it out
of the convent.
Likewise, no abbess may read any letter which has
been sent to her, nor may she write or send letters
away from the convent if they have not been first
shown to one of the discreet sisters, delegated to this
office by the other discreet ones, and who every year
must change, another being put in her place; the which
letters the said discreet one must read before they are
received by the abbess, and having read the letters which
the abbess wishes to send away, the discreet one must
seal them herself, and they may thus be sent from the
convent.
Chapter VII — Of the Election of the Mother
Abbess, Officials and Discreet.
Although the Rule says that the sisters shall send
for the general or provincial minister of the Order of
Minor Brothers, in order that he may exhort the said
THE RULE OF THE POOK CLARES 98
n with and ar rds to cousider the
union good of the Order in the election
to be made of the abbess.
as, the multitiM mess of
the ■ hers, and bow great and continuous are the
ister-general and of the pro-
ng the govermm nt and care of
i subjects, we ordain that if on account of some
uees they are unable to come, this charge may be
tutted to the confessor or other father who shall be
_ed Kiii tab !c for this office.
v wish to assemble the Chapter for the
<>n of their prelates, tbey shall follow the same order
it ist ill followed by the Cappucin Brothers.
the visitor, or vicar, or others sent by them,
Khali make the visitation to the sisters about this time,
is, a few days before the Chapter is to be assembled,
sisters shall offer up continuous and fervent
era, imploring God that He will deign to dispose
all things for the honour of His Majesty and for their
good. And besides this, at this time particularly, of
li we are speaking and which is ordained for the
assembly of the Chapter, the sisters shall not go about
talking or whispering either directly or indirectly to one
mother, but shall allow the Holy Spirit to work; there-
be ye advised to go into every election in pu
luity. holiness and saintliness, and without st:
.nited together in charity and peace ye shall elect her
whom ye know to be beat for the salvation of souls and
good of the convent ; manifesting therein that under pain
torta] nn, at every canonical election, she is to be
elected who shall be known to be best and most efficient
for the post v. hich she is to fill, every other consideration
g put aside. And in order that the sisters may be
more united by the will of God and that they may
w it more perfectly, on that morning on which
Chapter is to be assembled. l.-t all the sisters
94 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
endeavour to communicate, if they are able, and on that
morning the Mass of the Holy Spirit shall be said.
And this being done, all the sisters shall be called by
the ringing of the bell, and shall come to the grille ; and
the prelate or examiner, standing on the other side of
the grille, shall give them the sermon, and shall speak
of the election which is to be made and of its importance ;
and shall exhort them with the words of God to all possible
harmony and peace, and to the common good in the
election of the abbess and in all other things. And they
shall be advised to observe that which is commanded by
the Holy Council of Trent, Sec. 25, Chap. VII, namely,
that the sister who is to be elected as abbess, shall be not
less than forty years of age, and that since her profession
she shall have remained and lived in the convent for at
least eight years an exemplary life ; and when there is
no sister in the convent with these qualifications, then
with the consent and express will of the superior, by
whose authority the Chapter has been assembled, and
who must preside at the election, another may be elected,
who shall be at least thirty years of age, and who, since
her profession, has been a good example in the convent
for at least five years. This being done, let them invoke
the grace of the Holy Spirit, saying the hymn "Veni
creator Spiritus," and at the end the prelate shall say —
V. Emitte spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.
jR. Et renovabis faciem terra.
V. Domine exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
V. Dominus vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
Or emus.
Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione
docuisti; da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de
ejus semper consolatione gaudere.
THE RULE OF THE POOH (LAKES 95
i cede dm farnulos tuos, quaBsumus Don line Deus,
Beats Maris semper Virginis intercessione, a pnBteoti
tristitia, et sterna perfrui Istitia.
is qui Kcclesiam tuam Beati Franciaci mentis furtu
prolis amplifies* : tribue nobis ex ejus imitatione
na despicere, et cojlestiuni gaodiorum semper par-
te gaudere.
nulos tnos qossumus, Domine, beats Virginis tus
Clars votivam cummemorationem reoensentes, cosiest nun
un snam facia* interventione participes, et
lonea nostras, qussumus Domine, aspirsodo prs-
et i Ijuvando proseqoere ; ut cuncta nostra oratio, et
ope ratio, atque electio, a to semper incipiat, et per te
ocspta finiatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum .
Amen.
is being said, the abbess snail kneel before the grille
ami shall confess her sin, and freely and spontaneously
shall renounce her office into the hands of him who has
called the Chapter, and shall give him the keys and
seals through the rota. And this being done, the sisters
shall be heard concerning the same, one by one, *h*rging
their consciences to tell in charity the defects of the said
abbess. And all being heard, the abbess and all the
sisters shall be called, and she being come shall kneel
down, and the prelate shall tell her her faults, and shall
give her the penitence.
And this being done, they shall proceed in the name
od to the election of the new abbess, and the said
prelate, according to the Holy Council of Trent, Sec.
Chap. VII, together with the confessor or other
brother, shall be the examiner, ami the sisters shall come
to gi vote in all peace and devotion, as becomes the
sisters, servants and brides of Christ. And thus they
shall come one by one to the grille, and shall give their
96 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
votes freely, declaring the name of that sister whom they
elect as their mother abbess, and the superior shall faith-
fully write down all the votes that are given, so secretly
that none of the sisters can hear.
And according to the Holy Council of Trent, Sec. 25,
Chap. VI, all this must be done so secretly that the names
of the electors can never be published ; and when all the
votes have been given, all the sisters shall be called to
the grille, and the prelate who has been examiner, that
is who has taken the votes, shall pronounce the results,
beginning with the one who shall have failed to get any,
until all are completed ; and the one who shall be found
to have more than half the votes shall be elected. And
if by chance in the first scrutiny no one is elected,
they shall take the votes again in the same way until
some one be elected, and it is thus necessary to do in
every election ; and it shall be enough if she have more
than half the votes; but it is to be noted that the old
abbess shall have no voice in the election of the new
one. After she has been elected and the said father has
declared the votes, he shall say : In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This is the canonical election of the mother abbess of
this convent of . . . celebrated this . . . day of the
month of ... in the year ... in which the mother,
Sister N. in the . . . scrutiny has received . . . votes
and I, Brother N., minister-general or provincial or
commissary — and if he be not a prelate he shall say
examiner — together with my colleague, elect and declare
to be elected as the mother abbess of this convent the
mother, Sister N., in whose election the greater part of
you have consented.
This being said, the Te Deum Laudamus shall be sung,
after which the prelate shall say the V. Confirma hoc
Deus, etc., and the following, with the five prayers noted
above in Chap I. And this being said, the elected abbess
shall kneel in front of the grille, and the said prelate shall
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 97
approve and confirm the election, it appearing right to
him for approval and confirmation, having been canon-
ical ly done, and shall say to her : Sister A7., I, Brother N.,
he authority which I have, do confirm and approve
the election made at this Chapter, and I constitute you
mother abbess of this convent, and I impose on you and
command you, by holy obedience, that you fill the office
which has been given to you according to the grace which
Qod has given and shall give to you. And I exhort you
with all my power to exercise this charge with all charity
and solicitude, not confiding in your own strength, but
h has elected you to this charge, and which
shall give you the grace and light to enable you to govern
these sisters, if you will truly commit yourself to it. After
this he shall turn to the nuns, and shall say : Further,
I command all you sisters, by holy obedience, that you
be good daughters and subjects, thinking on that *
have promised in the Rule, in which St. Clare com-
mands you to be obedient in all those things, which are
ary to conscience and to y<< ; considering
position she is no longer Sister N., but
represents St. Clare; also Christ; therefore, as 1 have
said, you must reverence and honour her as mother and
i to in all things which belong to her office.
is being done, they shall proceed to choose the
vicaress in the same manner, by secret votes, and she who
has the greater number of votes, as has been said, shall
be elected and declared by the said prelate to be vicaress
of the convent, and she shall exercise that office.
Besides this, it is usual and a good custom to choose
by secret votes the first and second portress, and also the
mistress of the novices.
In the same way, eight sisters of the more discreet shall
be elected, according to whose advice the abbess must
proceed in all the more important affairs of the con
according as the Rule directs. But all the other
officials shall be chosen by the same prelate, together with
98 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the confessor, abbess and vicaress, who shall confer to-
gether and elect those whom they consider most suitable
for the charges ; because if all these were chosen by vote,
not only would it take too long, but it would also become
tedious and confusing, neither would the house be well
accommodated with officers. But in order not to neglect
the Rule which prescribes the Order in this matter, it must
be done in this way : The consent and votes shall be taken
in common of all the nuns, the prelate saying to all the
sisters : Are you content that we shall choose the officers
according as the Lord shall inspire us? And if they shall
reply, Yes, that they are content, then the prelate, with
the confessor, abbess and vicaress, as has been said above,
shall endeavour to choose them, accommodating the house
to the best of their ability. And the list of the officers
being made with all possible charity, according as the
Lord shall have inspired them, the said prelate who
assembled the Chapter shall send for all the sisters and
shall give them a sermon, and shall speak to them of the
holy obedience and patience or of other things of the
Rule, as it shall appear expedient to him. And the dis-
course being ended in the name of God, the above list
shall be read, and each one, for the love of Jesus Christ,
shall take the office which is given to her with patience,
as if Christ had sent it to her from heaven , and as He took
up the cross for us until He came to the cross.
But in order that this election may proceed with
greater safety, we ordain that whenever the death of the
abbess shall occur, or if she be oppressed by some long
and serious illness, so that she cannot conveniently
exercise her office, or if for any just and reasonable cause
she wish to renounce her office altogether, or as the Rule
say 8, if it shall appear to the sisters universally that she
has transgressed the observance of their life and rule,
or (which God forbid) if she be found in some extra-
ordinary fault, then three days after the death or deposi-
tion from the office, there being no impediment, the
THE RULE OF THE POOR (LAKES 99
presence of the sup< mg possible, or if not, some
lained by him, the sisters shall provide an abbess
by means of a canonical election. In which none of the
rg can be elected as abbess who has not professed,
» the precise profession has not remained snd
in a praiseworthy manner for the space of eight
years snd who is not less than forty years of age, unless
on account of necessity it were needful to act di
with th> f the superior, as is the wish of tin
Council of Trent of the Regulars, Sec. 25, Chsp
Nil, as is said above.
And no one may be elected to such office if the cannot
ordinarily lead the common life as prescribed by the Rule
in Chap. IV, if she cannot attend the choir day and
night, or if she is generally obliged to eat meat. And
the same is to be said of the portresses and mistresses of
the n
Chapter VIII— Op thb Manner in which the
Chapter is to be Held.
The abbess is obliged according to the Rule to summon
her sisters to Chapter at least once a week, and in order
thst this may be observed in all places and continuously,
we ordain that the abbess or her vicaress, according to I be
nature of the times and of the place, shall fix an hour for
holding the said Chapter, so that all the sisters who are
g and healthy can come together at the same time
and place; but on this account there shall be nothing
ted which belongs to the Divine Offices or to <
necessary services, but every time that the abbess' wishes
to call her sisters to Chapter, she shall cause the bell of
tin refectory to be rung one time only ; and all the sisters
are healthy and vigorous and who are not then
occupied in necessary service to the infirm, must imme-
diately on hearing the sound of the bell assemble for the
H 2
100 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Chapter. And all the sisters being congregated there and
sitting, the abbess or her vicaress, after having invoked
the grace of the Holy Spirit, shall make the general
recommendations for the benefactors, alive or dead,
naming especially those persons who have given help to
her convent with their alms. And these recommendations
being made, the sisters shall rise to their feet and shall
pray for them in order, saying the Psalm : Ad te levavi
oculos meos, etc. Gloria Patri, etc., for the living, and
the Psalm De profundis, etc., with the Requiem, etc., for
the dead, with the following intercessory prayers, which
are — Paternoster, etc.
V . Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.
R. Sed libera nos a malo.
V. Fiat pax in virtute tua.
R. Et abundantia in turribus tuis.
V. Memento congregationis tuse.
R. Quam possedisti ab initio.
V. Salvas fac servas tuas, et ancillas tuas.
R. Deus meus sperantes in te.
V. Oremus pro fidelibus defunctibus.
R. Requiem ffiternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua
luceat eis.
V. Requiescant in pace.
R. Amen.
V. Domine exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oratio.
Ecclesiffi tuse, quaesumus Domine, preces placatus
admit te, ut destructis adversitatibus, et erronibus uni-
versis, secura tibi serviat libertate.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui facis mirabilia magna
solus : pra?tende super famulos tuos, et famulas tuas, et
super congregationes illis commissas, spiritum gr
salutaris, et ut in veritate tibi complaceant, perpetuum ait
rorem tu?r benedictionis infunde.
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 101
<ic Domine famulis, et famulabus tuis benefac-
tor 1 bus north* dexteram ccelestis auxilii ; ut te toto oorde
11 rant, et quae digne postulant, oonaequi mereantur.
-olve quapsumus Domine, animaa famulonim. fainu
larutiKju.- kumm, «t omnium Ddelium «1« functorum, ab
omni vinculo delicto rum ; ut in resurrectionis gloria, inter
Sanctos, et electee toe resuscitaati respirent. Per Chris-
t ti in Dominum nostrum.
1 at the end the Paternoster being said—
I Deua det nobis suam paoem.
Amen.
m above prayers and intercessions being then finished,
the abbess shall ait down, and one by one each sister shall
•re her sins, with a modest and humble voice and
rly, so that they may be heard. And this they shall
do with (heir hands clasped, and kneeling, beginning with
the novices and inferiors ; and the abbess or her vicareas,
ng heard their sins and faults, shall give to each one
a penance according to the seriousness of the fault com-
ted; and if necessary, shall admonish her and repri-
mand her, as it shall appear expedient; above all, not
ing any partiality whatever.
And let the sisters be warned that in Chapter they may
not contend or excuse themselves, neither may they reply.
And they anal I not speak nor make answer without the
permission of the abbess or her vicareas.
The novices, having declared their sins and accepted
l « nance , shall immediately leave toe Chapter , and then
the professed sisters shall begin to declare their sins;
and they shall not in any way dare to reprove each other
he sins accused and punished in Chapter. And should
one of them fall into this sin, she shall be sev.
punished by the abbess. The Chapter being ended, and
telling as well as the hearing of the sins, if the
sisters wish to discuss any matter, let them discuss it as
Bolt directs, and let it be dispatched, with becoming
102 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
charity, modesty, gravity and honesty : they keeping
themselves above all from superfluous, impure and harmful
words. And having dispatched everything, they shall
leave the Chapter in the name of the Lord, and shall go
about the exercise of their offices and shall attend to the
amending of their faults and failings.
Chapter IX— Of Silence and the Manner of Speaking
at the Rota and in the Parlour.
Seeing that silence is the guardian of an understanding
spirit and an ornament to a nun , in order that the fervour
of devotion be not extinguished through too much talk-
ing, we ordain that the sisters be quiet and observe
silence, as the Rule dictates, from Evensong until Tierce
is said. They shall, further, observe silence, as the same
Rule directs, in church, dormitory and in the refectory,
when they eat, the infirmary being excepted.
And although the Rule does not order that silence is
to be observed in the cloisters; all the same, since in all
well-governed Orders the cloister, after the church, is the
first place where silence is to be observed, we ordain that
the sisters shall observe silence in the cloisters as in the
other three places above mentioned and named in the Rule.
Next, we ordain and command that no sister, no matter
what her office, rank or condition, may go to the parlour
— as is contained in the said Rule — without the permission
of the abbess ; or of the vicaress if it is not possible to
ask it of the abbess; and, besides, having permission,
they must speak in the presence of two sisters of the
number of the eight discreet of the convent, (and not of
the vicaress,) who shall clearly be able to hear what is
*a id. Moreover, no sister, nor abbess or portress, shall
begin to speak until those are present who are to listen,
unless it be in a case of great necessity.
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 100
And none of the sisters shall speak except in conformity
to the Bale, with mature and reliable persons, such as
r. mother, brothers, sisters, relatives and spiritual
ids; and this shall happen very seldom, at the most
times a year. Further, whenever it shall happen that
ome necessary reason, any one shall enter the
rent and speak with them, they shall modestly cover
faces with black veils, and shall bow themselves s
. as becomes the modesty of the Order.
luring the forty days of St. Martin, which
we desire to begin the day after the festival of All Saints,
ind to last until the Nativity of the Lord; and during
Lent, which we desire shall begin the day after <;
quagesima and last until the Resurrection of the Lord ;
• lining these times none of the sisters shall speak to any-
body in the parlour or at the rota, except for the reasons
comprised in the Rule. And people outside who wish to
speak with those in the convent, besides the permission
<>f the superiors in the cases when it is to be sought for,
must first of all speak with the abbess or vicareas or
ress, being desirous every time, however, of desling
. with matters appertaining to the common good of
the convent, as it has been customary to do until now.
Moreover, no person shall write letters during the said
tune of Lent.
We exhort, further, the same sisters of our Lord Jesus
Christ, thst whenever it shall happen that one of
sisters shall speak in the parlour or at the rota, she shall
keep herself entirely from long, useless, vain and worldly
discourses. But let every word thst issues from their
mouth be honest, useful and edifying, as is becoming
to the servants, handmaidens and brides of Christ,
observers of the Holy Gospel. And in order to avoid such
long and vain conversations and also the doubtful society
of men, we ordain, further, that in no manner shall tin-
sisters themselves, or for another person, gossip
either men or women.
104 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Chapter X — Of the Observance of Poverty, and that
the Sisters shall not receive any Possessions.
The abbess, together with all the sisters, being held
by the Rule to observe the holy poverty, which they have
promised to the Lord God and to St. Francis, that is,
neither to receive nor to have any possession or property
either for themselves or for an intermediate person :
therefore we ordain unto all, that they are in no manner
to receive houses for letting, land to be worked, meadows
for mowing, vineyards for cultivation, nor other houses
and lands to be held and possessed.
Besides this, we ordain that the nuns are not to keep
granaries, nor to collect or provide dresses which can last
more than a year. Likewise, let them know that it is
not lawful for them to hoard.
In every way and manner let holy poverty shine forth
in the household goods of the sisters. Vessels of gold, of
silver or of other precious materials shall not be seen
in their convents. Let all rarity be far and banished
entirely from their clothes and other necessities. They
shall have nothing superfluous, but scarcity in the use
of things shall always reign among them, as becomes the
followers of the most holy poverty.
As regards legacies made to the sisters in the last
testament of those who die, we declare that the nuns
of St. Clare, of the First Rule, on account of their pro-
fession, are not capable of incomes as legacies for them-
selves nor for an intermediary person. But of others
made simply they are capable, like the Minor Brothers;
because Nicholas III in the Chapter Excit de Verb
signif. in VI, declaring the Rule of the Minor Brothers,
says that legacies may be made in three ways. The
first is illegal, and is when the testator says in his will
that he leaves a quantity of money in rents or places in
the hills or other similar investments of which the profits
are taken every year in perpetuity, or for a long space
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 105
of time ; or he leaves a house to be let, or vineyards for
cultivation, of other booses and lands of which the profits
to be taken. A legacy made in such a manner is
illegal ; therefore the nuns, on account of their profession,
may neither accept it for themselves nor for an inter-
mediary person.
The second way is lawful, and is when the testator
says in his will that be leaves a quantity of money, like
a hundred crowns, simply as alms, to be paid by the
heirs, or that be leaves a boose or vineyard or other goods
n may be sold by the heirs or other suitable person,
and the price of which shall be given as alms to the nuns
or 00 A legacy made in such a manner is deemed
lawful, therefore the nuns may accept it if they need it,
because they an- OSJibtl «»f it.
a third way is said to be indifferent, and is when
the testator leavea indifferently a quantity of money con-
veniently, or a house, or vineyard, or other goods without
saying or explaining anything in his will. Such a legacy
is considered to be made in a lawful manner, according
as it suits the nuns; and therefore they may accept it in
that mamu r in which they become capable of it, as is
said above in the second way.
We declare, nevertheless, that it is lawful for every
convent in particular to be recommended to and supported
in i-harity — without the convent being under any obliga-
— by some fraternity or other pious place, from which
the sisters may be helped and relieved in the wants and
necessities of life and of maintenance, the which fraternity
shall have particular care and protection for the said
convent, and shall help and defend it in all its needs;
in such a way, however, that they shall not accept per-
il legacies for the convent nor yet house and lands,
> as houses and vineyards for letting, and of which the
profits are to be taken, seeing that the nuns are not
capable of such things, as is contained in Chap. VI
s Rule.
106 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
The sisters may, nevertheless, make use of all necessary
things conceded to them, according to the Rule, and,
further, of those which are not prohibited by the same
Rule. They may, therefore, make use of the things
necessary for the celebration of the Divine Office for the
service of the church, of the altar and of the choir. More-
over, they may make use of the things necessary to the
exercise of those offices appointed to them in the convent.
Likewise they may enjoy the use of those things which
are liberally offered to them, and sent, or sought after
for the love of God; and also of those which they have
earned by working, because things offered, begged or
earned are not repugnant to nor in discord with their
promised poverty.
Besides this, we ordain that when things are sent as
alms to some sister in particular, they shall be allowed
to her to whom they were sent whenever she has need
of them. And when that sister to whom they have been
sent has no need of them , the abbess shall distribute them
according as God shall inspire her, either in common or
in particular.
Neither shall it be lawful for any sister to distribute
that which is sent to her by relatives or other persons
to any other sister whatsoever, even if she be in need,
without the express permission of the abbess, which is to
be observed ; also should she wish to send it to any one
outside the convent.
Moreover, besides the above-mentioned permission, the
abbess, the portress and the discreet shall examine minutely
what is given by any nun outside the convent. And this
is to be understood also of the rota, that is, that the
abbess and the discreet shall see that which is given, not-
withstanding the permission of the abbess or vicaress.
And the same is to be observed when the abbess shall
give away anything, that is, that the portress and the
discreet shall see it ; and whoever shall disobey this rule
shall be without her veil for three days, the first time ;
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 107
the penance shall be doubled the second time, and so
on, doubling its. If
We exhort all the sisters that in making debts they
shall always and in every place bear themselves as be-
comes the poverty of Christ : so that if it shall happen
v are obliged by necessity to make some, they
shall do so without any legal obligation whatev*
satisfaction ; but they shall alone promise that they will
'■ simply in conformity with their position to bring
about the satisfaction of the debt. And above all, they
shall keep themselves from buildings, either great, super-
irious, and shall be content to live in places
that are poor, low and humble, conforming unto their
profession.
Chapter XI— Op the Sisters who are Infirm.
When any of the sisters shall fall ill or become weak,
we ordain that the abbess or her vicaress shall be obliged
to at once provide her with suitable attendance ; and
sisters delegated to the service of the sick or weak shall
guard against any extraordinary negligence in the office
laid upon them, but diligently, devotedly, humbly and
with tin f. r\. Mir of charity they shall serve them as they
would wish to be served themselves, and shall do unto
l as they would wish to be done by.
ffther, the abbess, when she is not legitimately occu-
pied, shall, at least once every day, visit her sisters who
ill. especially when they are greatly suffering. And
when the abbess is unable, her vicaress shall be held to
do this, so that none of the sisters shall have occasion
through then negligence to complain that charity has not
been shown her in her infirmity. And also in order that
the infirm sisters may have an opportunity of showing
r needs to the abbess or to her vicaress, by whom
they must be assisted according to the means of the
convent.
108 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
The doctor, surgeon and barber must be Catholics, and
mature and spiritual persons, and must not be introduced
into the convent except in cases of manifest necessity
or serious illness. And those who enter must be accom-
panied in a suitable manner, the abbess or her vicaress,
or two or three of the discreet of the convent being
present until they take their departure. And should it
happen that one of the sisters should have some infectious
and lasting disease, such as leprosy and other similar
illnesses, on account of which she may not be with the
others without danger, there shall in that case be pro-
vided for such a one a room apart within the convent,
where she may be attended to as her sickness demands ;
so that on that account nobody shall be obliged to go
outside the convent. We exhort, therefore, in Christ all
the sisters, both present and future, that for the love of
God they do not shun the service of such sick ones, as
shall be necessary. And if by chance the abbess or her
vicaress, or any of those delegated to the service of the
sick, shall fail notably in their duty, it shall be told to
the superior, by whom they shall be punished severely,
according as they deserve.
The sisters who are ill shall sleep according as the
Rule ordains in Chap. VIII, and may wear woollen shoes,
and those for whom it is particularly necessary may
use mattresses, but only with permission of the abbess,
and consent of the majority of the discreet.
Chapter XII — Of the Occupations of the Nuns.
The Rule stating in Chap. VII that the sisters to whom
the Lord has given the grace of work, shall work after
the hour of Tierce ; and in order that this may be con-
tinually the better observed by all the sisters, we desire
that the same sisters, for the love of God, do not refuse
the offices of humility and charity; but since they are
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 1O0
laid upon them by the abbess or her vicaress for the good
of all, and particularly of the convent, we desire tbat
shall perform the teaks given to them without any
murmuring or opposition, but willingly and cheerfully,
diligently, devotedly and faithfully ; when they are able
to do so and are well, as becomes those who have made
the vow of obedience, and for the love of God have denied
own will. And when the abbess or her vicaress
know that in all probability the sister is not able to work
or perform the task given to her. they shall take it away ;
ami they shall be careful not to order the sisters to do
things which it is not in any way possible for them to do.
And because it is contained in the aforesaid Rule that
they are to work after the hour of Tierce; and because
we have considered the straitness of our poverty and
the necessity which might arise, we concede that if
before the hour of Tierce it be by chance necessary to
do or to finish something begun, then the abbess or her
vicaress may command whomsoever it may appear
| - -dient to them to do it or finish
We desire, further, and ordain in order that no time
may be lost, that after Mass or after the hour of Tierce
the bell shall be rung, which shall call and invite the
sisters to work, the which sound being heard, all the
sisters who are not legitimately hindered, shall set about
doing and finishing the work committed to them. None
of the sisters shall dare to begin any work without per-
mission from the abbess or her vicaress, but each one of
them shall endeavour to do everything with the merit
of holy obedience and with the benediction and consent
ier superior.
The sisters shall keep themselves from curious, vain
and useless works ; and when such work is brought to the
convent, the abbess or her vicaress must be told and must
know of it, and they shall judge if such work is to be
accepted or no.
And whoever shall transgress against this our const it u-
110 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
tion, shall be severely punished, because the Rule says
that the sisters shall do such work as belongs to honesty.
And none of the sisters may accept work of any kind with-
out permission from the abbess or her vicaress, especially
when it is brought from outside the convent.
Besides the abovesaid things, we ordain that all the
sisters present as well as future shall keep themselves
from every pastime which may be secular, vain and little
modest. And when they wish to take recreation together
at certain hours, let their pastimes be to discourse on God,
of the Passion of Christ, of the life of the saints, of the
perfection of the Rule, of virtue, of the glory of Paradise,
and of the pains of Hell ; or of honest and useful matters,
leaving aside idle, hurtful and lascivious words, that would
be taken in a bad sense, as becomes the servants of Jesus
Christ, who make profession to observe His Holy Gospel.
The sisters may not have in the convent profane,
curious, vain and worldly books, but rather books which
are able to edify their souls and kindle them in the love
of God to spiritual profit and to the observance of the
Rule. And none of the sisters may have books which
they have not first shown to the abbess, and for which
they have not received special permission from her.
Again, in the refectory books are to be read which shall
nourish the spirit.
Chapter XIII — Of the Correction of the Sisters.
We ordain, further, that in every convent the abbess
or her vicaress shall admonish and correct their sisters,
both humbly and charitably, so that they shall not be
precipitated into the gulf of transgression for the sake of
not being admonished and corrected. And although the
presidents must make these admonitions and corrections
with humility, they must, nevertheless, beware that
under the image of humility and kindness they do not
THE RULE OF THE POOH CLARES m
allow licence and liberty to sin, and that under the shadow
harity they do not show ihwn— fa^f lovers of the
sensuality of the body, and cruel towards the soul.
• all, without difference, according to their unworthi-
ness shall be equally punished as is right. And should
ance happen (which God forbid) that any sister
ild commit some serious fsult, and enormous sin,
exposing her soul to perdition and her Order to confusion
and vituperation, and especially if one of them were so
lious, disobedient snd incorrigible ss to wish to per-
severe and remain obstinate in her malice, and in no
way to desire correction ; for such and similar a room
of discipline shall be made in every convent, strong and
separate, in which she shall be kept like a prisoner on
bread and water, for as long as the nature of the sin and
the disposition of the abbess and her discreet shall decree.
When the sisters fill themselves with arrogance before
the abbess or her vicaress, saying some impertinent or
harmful word or something full of insult, they shall eat
bread and water, standing in the presence of all, remain-
ing there while the meal lasts.
Chapter XIV— Of thb Rota and of the Entrance
into the Convert.
As regards the entrance of seculsr people, men or
women, or of those belonging to an Order, withm th.
•sure of the convent, the cot m V and
Gregory XIII, and that which the II M il of Trent
in Sec. 25, Chap. V, before these supreme pontiffs,
ordained, are to be observed.
When it shall happen that something is brought to the
nt which cannot be conveniently received by the
rota, such as barrels of wine, wood and other similar
things, then they may be received at the gate, which
shall not be opened more than necessary ; and the sisters
112 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
deputed to the charge of the gate shall not permit that
the bearers of such things go into or enter other places,
except into such places where it is necessary for them to
enter to put down the things which they bring. And on
these occasions the sisters shall take care not to let other
persons come into the convent, and those who have
entered by necessity shall, their work being finished, leave
again as soon as possible. And if the aforesaid persons
shall go about the convent, all the sisters shall retire so
as not to be seen, excepting those who are deputed by
the abbess or her vicaress, who shall keep themselves as
much as possible from any discourse with such persons,
which is not altogether necessary, nor appertaining to the
work which they are then doing in the convent.
The same manner is to be observed when building is
going on in the convent, or anything else is being done
necessary for the use of the convent.
And such things as the sisters are able to do themselves
shall not be done by seculars, and they shall not allow the
workmen to have their meals in the convent, but shall
make them eat outside.
After this we counsel the sisters, and exhort them at
the same time, that they trouble not themselves about the
benedictions and consecrations of the abbess and other
nuns, but let their sacred profession suffice them, which
if they observe it, there is no doubt whatever that they
will receive the benediction of the Supreme High Priest,
Jesus Christ.
We ordain, further, that the confessor shall only enter
the convent when necessary, and likewise the doctor and
the surgeon, and then in the proper way, as is desirable.
Chapter XV— Of the Visiting.
The Rule in Chap. XII says that the visitor shall
always be of the Order of the Minor Brothers, according
THE RULE OF THE POOR CLARES 11:1
e will and i our cardinal, and it is to be
>sc convents that arc subject to and und< r
are of the Minor Brothers, but those which
the care of the bishop or other
Win n for> , those that axe under the care
and government of the Cappucin Brothers, must be
their prelates; which prelates, by the office
th they hold, may, without the will and mandate of
Lord Cardinal Protector, visit, according to the
>ii and concession of Pope Innocent IV and of
me pontiffs.
We del . that the visitor be of the Order of the
Minor Brothers, when the convent is subject to the Minor
Brothers, which shall be assigned according to the above-
d concession of Pope Innocent IV, by the
.-* tor-general for all the convents of the Order, or by
ial ministers for the convents which ar
es, when they themselves are not able or
willing to visit; and when the sisters shall ask for
the visitor, and the prelate does not himself wish to visit,
must ask for a brother, who must be observant of
his 1 il of God, and who must have great
experience in this art of all the arts, which is the care of
souls— which visitor shall be obliged to visit all the con-
vents committed to him every year, not once only, but
often still when it is necessary, and when he is
summoned by the abbess or by the other discreet sisters
for a rightful cause.
We ordain, fa hat the prelate or visitor shall
new _:, be introduced into the interior of
the convent, because, as the Rule says in the above
chapter, he can conveniently visit the nuns standing at
the grille, and can speak to them freely of those things
which appertain to the office of the visit according as it
shall appear expedient to him, unless it were necessary
for him to visit the work-places.
The abbess shall beware that neither herself nor
114 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
through others she hide from the visitor the condition of
her convent concerning the observance of this Rule ; but
she shall rather endeavour that the things which have
need of remedy and correction shall be told and freely
shown with all confidence, so that the visitor may fulfil
his office of remedying disorders and correct and chastise
those sisters who have transgressed, with such suitable
methods as the case demands, secretly or publicly.
And in the inquiry, the visitor must first learn to
know how they live concerning the observance of the
three vows : obedience , poverty and chastity ; and of the
enclosure. Secondly, how the things of the Divine
Office, of the prayers and use of the sacraments, proceed.
Thirdly, of the manner of speaking at the grille and rota
with secular persons, and other similar things which
belong to the regular observance and religious life.
These, then, are the constitutions of the Rule of St.
Clare, according to the reformation of the Blessed Collette,
the reformer, through which we do not mean to compel
the sisters to any sin, excepting as God, the Church and
the Rule shall compel them ; nevertheless, we ordain that
those who transgress them shall be severely punished,
according to their crime.
The end of the constitutions made at Gebeunc, in the
Province of Borgogna, in the year of the Lord 1434, on
the 29th day of September, in the third year of Pope
Eugene IV, and reformed at Rome in the year of the
Lord 1610, on the 20th of November, in the sixth year
of Pope Paul V.
Laus Deo.
IIAPTER IV
OUBBIO
n story of the Poor Claret of the Holy Tri
at Gubbiu, mi Umbria, from the year of their
oo, in 1509, down to the present time, is given
here in full, because it is typical and continuous; and
because the Analecta Franciscan* , from which most of
g records are taken, happens to deal more
lengthily with this convent than with most In trans-
ig from the Latin verbal accuracy has been the chief
aim.
"Certain fervent tertiaries, after overcoming many
snares, insults and reproaches, founded this monastery of
Clahsses. It had as directors fathers of the Regular
Observance, even when our people obtained the convent
of B4 tie, for then it had been assigned to the
Reformed. It was always noted for its moat perfect
observance of the Bole. In it forty sisters and more
dwelt, even in the most recent times, of whom six-and-
thirty departed this life with the reputation of Sanctis
..11 iwng whom stands out the Venerable Sister Clare
Isabelle Gherzi, for whose beatification processes have
begun to be drawn up."
Here follow the Clare Sitters of the Monastery of the
Most Holy Trinity.
1 1 our sisters were brought in the year 1509 from the
\u 1 1 -kept monastery of the wooded mountains of Perugia
to that of the Most Holy Trinity in Tguvium (modern
for the sake of reforming it. Of these the name
I 2 116
116 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of one only has been handed down, viz. Sister Prudence
of Narni, who performed the office of abbess. It is neces-
sary to say that she was adorned with all virtue, since the
reformation introduced by her still continues lively and
constant. A certain brother in the convent of St. Jerome,
whilst engaged in prayer, is said to have seen her soul
ascend into heaven, accompanied by an angel. The day
and year of her death are unknown.
2. Sister Clara Benamata of Gubbio, a great lover of
silence, who became a pattern of religious perfection to
the sisters, gave up her soul to God the 11th of September,
1600.
3. Sister Raphaela de Vecchia Gubbio, adorned with
the gifts of heroic patience, lofty speech and inviolable
purity, was found day and night at the canonical hours,
and was often fortified, it is said, by the vision of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. She died in 1614.
4. Sister Justina Vandini of Gubbio burned with love
for God and her neighbour ; she fell asleep in the Lord
most peacefully in the year 1615.
5. Sister Angelina, born of the illustrious family of
Ondadei of Gubbio, entered religion at an early age. She
was tried with dreadful and constant pain, like gold in
the furnace, but bore it all with invincible patience and
a cheerful mind. She flew forth to her Spouse, laden with
merits, in the month of March 1632. The exact day is
unknown.
6. Sister Concordia Mosca of Gubbio loved from the
depths of her heart peace, unity, brotherly love, agree-
ment amongst the sisters, and the strict poverty and
obedience. She died very peacefully on the 26th of May,
1634.
7. Sister Francisca Eugeni transferred herself from
Recineto to Gubbio that she might profess the rule of
St. Clare in our monastery. To such a degree did she
cultivate the deepest poverty that she was content with
only one tunic and outer garment. To this virtue she
GUBBIO 117
1 the greatest austerity of 1 i f « - . maiden chastity and
.-. She flew forth to heaven on the 28th day of
i6.
8. E Rambotti of «ii voted herself
instant meditation on the Lord's Passion, so that
trembling of her whole body she would •
fall into a pious swoon. She held the office of abbess
I .l.t mclessly. She flew to her Spouse the 21st of November,
Sister Constance Oabrieili, born of a noble family of
Gvbbio, gave herself up to prayer and contemplation, in
\>. Inch she obtained the honour of special gifts from God.
was especially devoted to St. Didsx, and persuaded
parents l> i treaties to dedicate an altar to him.
it to heaven 8th of February, 1645.
Sister Paula Bentivoglia of Gubbio, of the Counts
Saxe-Ferratum, thought scorn of the world, and
rod the monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, in which
i the first days she appeared adorned with virtoea.
Dg chosen abbess, she taught the sisters entrusted to
barge to follow faithfully the path < When
ne they complained that the Bishop of Monaldum
was trying to bring the monastery under his own control
and to withdraw, it from the Regulars, "Be not afraid,
sisters," she said "Pray with me, and the Lord
will h«- with us." Whilst, I . they won- pom
forth most f< r\( tit prayers to God, the prudent abbess
sent a messenger to the Bishop, saying that if he wished
to flee from the. Divine indignation he would desist from
the plan winch he had formed. And so it happened. She
of December, 1645.
11 l>orn of the Counts of Benum of
(inhbio, after the example of St. Clare so loved serai
• ty and the Holy Kueharist that she was content with
only one tunic and whil-t praying before the Eucharist
nsformed into an angel. She passed away to
heaven 5th of May, 1647.
118 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
12. Sister Dionora of Gubbio, born Countess of Benum,
having spurned earthly vanities and a distinguished mar-
riage, took the habit of the Clares. Being elected abbess,
she served the sisters as a handmaiden. Filled with
heavenly gifts, especially when she prayed before the
sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, she fell into frequent
ecstasies. She passed away to her Spouse the 8th of June,
1652.
13. Sister Cecilia, born of noble parents of Mengaccium
of Gubbio, was distinguished by celestial gifts from her
earliest years. While still a little girl, when she was one
day passing in front of the monastery and saw the gate
open, she fled like lightning from the hands of her parents
and entered the enclosure without permission, whence by
no force could she ever be removed. The Bishop who had
purposed to remove her from the monastery was warned
by a vision of St. Francis, and abandoned his intention.
After her profession she shone with virtues, and at length,
full of merits, passed to her Spouse on the 2nd of
September, 1655.
14. Sister Victoria, Countess Delia Porta of Gubbio,
was a maiden of great abstemiousness and love towards
God ; she was also given to silence. She died in the odour
of sanctity at a date which is not known.
15. Sister Victoria Zeccadoro entered the monastery at
the age of seven, and also, as soon as she had assumed
the habit, appeared a perfect imitator of St. Clare. She
was most eminent in preserving peace among the sisters.
She died a holy death on the 16th of May, 1668.
16. Sister Virginia Vincioli of Perugia, that she might
devote herself more fully to God from the beginning of
her life, took the habit of St. Clare in the monastery of
the Most Holy Trinity. When she was hindered by sick-
ness on one occasion during her noviciate the other sisters
saw her saying something in a low tone. When asked
what it was, she replied that she was performing the
office of the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by holy virgins
GUBRM 119
with a very Beautiful Woman. Her illness increased,
been released from her solemn profession by
liege, she went to heaven in the year 1682 on a day
Mown. The swallows greeted her death.
Theresa Conventini, born in Gubbio of noble
u to and piously reared by a most pious mother,
■corned ;i noble a*niaji and aateai Uh aamat, ud
1 herself to God by religious vows. She was nkwt
ted to St. Peter of Alcantara and St. Theresa, and
always strove to imitate the virtues and self-denial of both.
lost her eyesight whilst still in the flower of her age,
•ad was worn out by many infirmities, which she bore in
mm h a manner that she seemed a miracle of patience.
passed to the stars on Christmas Day 1684.
Sister Isabella- Antonia. born of respectable parents
nbbio, entered the monastery at a very early age and
seed the Rule of St. Clare ; she was present day and
night at the canonical hours, which she kept with incred-
fervour of spirit. She was singularly devoted to
silence, patience and charity. She gave up her soul to
God, singing "Benedicamus Domino," on the 80th of
December, 1684.
19. Sister Helena of Gubbio was a most devoted wor-
i-er of the Holy Redeemer, who fortified her by a
vision when she lay grievously ill, and informed her that
she would not die of that sickness. She used to spend
many hours in fervent prayer before the image of Him
kept in the by the merit whereof she one day
obtained the rescue from certain danger of death of a
aster who had fallen backwards into a well. She paased
away to heaven on a day and year which are unknown.
20. 8ister Cleraentia Vincioli was a nun of great sim-
plicity, parity and perfection, for which virtues she was
chosen abbess and novice-mistress, both of which offices
she performed with the greatest prudence and charity.
Full <>f in. nts, she gave up her soul to God (day and year
unknown).
120 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
21. Sister Modesta Benamata was very zealous of the
regular discipline, and filled with the other virtues;
passed to heaven (date unknown).
22. Sister Cornelia was distinguished by her patience,
humility, assiduous prayer and perfect regular discipline.
The day of her death is unknown.
23. Sister Eugenia Gabrielli was wont to engage in
prayer and heavenly meditations throughout the day, and
from midnight till early morning. The day of her death
is not known.
24. Sister Bartholomew, a convert from Fracta in
Perugia, long performed the office of begging food for the
sisters, as was the custom after the reformation of the
monastery, wherein she appeared in the streets adorned
with such virtue and angelic purity that she was the
wonder of the citizens, and was venerated by them as a
saint. One day, when she was returning to the monastery
laden with bread, she beheld Jesus Christ laden with His
cross, and He walked beside her and with her entered the
monastery — by which vision she was affected with such
gladness of heart that she fancied herself to be already
released (from the body) and with Christ. Any time that
she had left over from her employment she would give to
prayer before the Host preserved in the tabernacle, which
also she covered with a precious veil with the alms which
she had collected. But it happened that before her work
was completed she fell sick unto death. She herself
besought her Heavenly Spouse with strenuous prayers
that He would deign to grant her sufficient space of life
for the completion of the veil. She was heard, and
immediately became restored to health. When, however,
the veil was completed she died in the greatest holiness.
The year and day are unknown.
25. Sister Jacoba, likewise a convert from Gubbio, for
a long time took charge of the sick sisters with every
feeling of humanity. She burned with extraordinary love
towards the most august Eucharist, from the adoration
(.TRBTO 121
of which she could not be parted by any wil, of demon.
The year and day whereon she was called to her heav
nuj'1 11.
Beatrix, <>f fthf Counts of Carpegna, was a
he highest ]• n and a most munit
actress of the monastery, whereinto she entered and
)usly for many years, and departed
with the odour of sanctity tin 10th of January <;
unknown).
izabeth Spellarossa a Sj-intu Sa:
noese, burned with love towards Christ crucified, and
always loved the Blessed Virgin m ith filial piety. She was
th daily intirrinties of the bitterest kind, but bore
i with so much humility, patience and submission of
! that she became a true example of virtue to the
sisters. She met a blessed death in the odour of san
on th. J Ith of Augu-
28. Sister Maria Johanna a Jesu, a Bavarian by
ii* ly led into this monastery, and
was filled with the gift of the loftiest contemplation. She
filled the office of abbess zealously according to the
regu i tin. . the sisters as well as herself showing
nt zeal, especially concerning those things which
pertained to divine worship. At the age of eighty
she was called to her celestial nuptials, with manifest
of a blessed predestination, on th* irch,
1778.
The V. m rable Sister Clare Isabelle Gherzi was dis-
uiahed by miracles in her life and after her death. For
bar beatification <!• i ■ 'ions were taken. She passed away
• stars on th. 27th day of October, 1800.
30. Si- ia a Paradiso of Gubbio for tw<
" years was tried by sickness, like gold in the furnace,
hut never uttered a word of complaint, being always con-
to mffei fur Christ. She lived with great reputation
for sanctity, and died the 15th of September, 1824.
Hyacintha a SS. Bedemptore, born at Uvada,
122 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
was adorned with the virtues of simplicity and obedience,
and always fulfilled all the more laborious duties with the
greatest exactness. She spent her time in prayer, vigils
and mortification of the senses, and deserved praise for
her great love towards the Holy Child and the Blessed
Virgin. She bore the pains of sickness with heroic
patience. She died a holy death the 12th of December,
1830.
32. Sister Maria Magdalena Gherzi was sister on her
father's side of Venerable Clare Isabelle, whose virtues she
always emulated, especially her love toward God and her
neighbour, affliction of the body, contempt of self, and
virgin brightness. On the day after her death, which was
like the sleep of an angel, a certain girl probationer who
was sick unto death in the monastery of St. Benedict
commended herself to her, and grew well at once. Deposi-
tions of the life and virtue of this virgin were duly drawn
up by the Bishop of Gubbio, and are preserved in his
episcopal archives. Her blessed death took place on the
9th of June, 1844.
33. Sister Maria, from the Assumption of Genoa,
became an example to the other sisters by the simplicity
of her life, the lustre of her morals and her observance of
regular discipline. Her body remained unburied for three
days, but breathed forth no evil odour; nay, grew con-
tinually more beautiful. She passed away to the stars on
the 31st of May, 1848.
34. Sister Clare Teresa of All Saints, born at Sestrum
Ponens, was prone to virtue from her infancy, and an
example to her contemporaries. When she had taken the
habit she shone more and more in virtue. After her
death, when her body was placed in the church, it began
at once to shine with so great beauty that those who
beheld it were moved to devotion, and when pricked by
a certain sister with a needle it dripped blood. She was
united to her Heavenly Spouse on the 19th day of
December in the year 1854.
GUBBIO 128
The Blessed Clare Isabell. . when at Genoa in
twelfth year of her age, bad a vision of St. Francis
and St. Clure, who said to her : "God has deigned to hear
our prayers and cho- o be our daught u are
ned for the convent of the Holy Trinity at Gubbio ;
yon will assume our habit. Your zeal will vanquish
t buses and lu hat cloister." Her father refused
to accept this pronouncement ; but one day, when he was
warmly denouncing the vision, the nurse entered with ln>
jest child. JoMpttne, only seven months old ; and he,
striking the infant's cheek, said : "And what, little one,
do you think of this vision?" From the arms of her nurse
nfant answered clearly : " My sister will be first a nun
o and then a *-• This was the only time
Josephine spoke until, like other infants, she arrived at
usual age. Angele took the habit at Gubbio in 1768,
took the name of Clare Issbelle; she was elected
abbess in 1778 and eight timet subsequently, at the end
of each three years of office. This is the more astonishing
as during her fourth term of office she developed ill-health,
and thereafter had to govern the community from her cell.
The doctors desired the abbess to take drives in order to
restore her health ; against her wish, a dispensation was
procured and the drives undertaken. But God decreed
that the exercise should aggravate rather than assuage her
malady, and the abbess was relieved of further breaks in
Though very severe to herself in main-
taining the Rule, the abbess was a gentle mother to
daughters; and one day, when she was sending her
ess, a rather hard German nun, to the Chapter of
ts, she said : "Go and hear the faults of the sisters,
hut please remember that I wish you to be Italian rather
than German in correcting them." She died in 1800, and
the cause for her beatification has been introduced. There
is nothing more heroic recorded of this Clare so recently
decreed by the Church to be worthy of universal venera-
tion ; her vocation is regarded as supernatural, simply
124 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
because she so quietly and persistently pursued her path,
and maintained the love and esteem of those who shared
the cloister with her.
The nuns of this convent follow the Urban Rule ; they
are to this day under the charge of the Friars Minor, who
aid them alike in their spiritual and material necessities.
There are extern sisters, who beg from door to door for
broken food, which they collect in clean white sacks
carried over their shoulders ; and all about this beautiful
town, so full of legends of St. Francis and Brother Wolf,
the spirit of poverty and joy seems still to linger. There
is a simplicity and peace that even the casual visitor
cannot miss, for as we came out from Benediction each
evening some one always asked us to share the "passeg-
giata" with them, and we joined gladly in this, the great
dissipation of the town, and, pacing up and down the
main street between prayers and dinner, exchanged greet-
ings with priests and laics alike.
One of the favourite stories in Gubbio is that of Sister
Bartholomew, on p. 120, how she, poor extern sister,
whose duty was merely to beg bread, was allowed to see
Christ walking beside her, and to know by the vision that
He approved her work.
As it was the tertiaries who founded this convent, and
who still largely support it, it is worth while to quote the
following brief records of a few who are famed for
sanctity —
1. Lady Beatrice, of the Counts of Carpegna, sister, of
whom an account is given above in the monastery of the
Most Holy Trinity.
2. Sister Sabina, a noblewoman of Gubbio, who devoted
herself wholly to God in the beginning of her life, shone
everywhere with the admirable light of virtue. Being of
great beauty, she was sought by many in marriage, and,
contrary to her will, the virgin was given in wedlock to
Lord Laurence of Andreolum. In her married life she
preserved inviolate the same rule of life which she had
yl fMi\.. ■^l^K^ at urBltlti.
GUBBIO ISA
in her i Day, she even added t
I patience the loss of sons, the
husband and the reproach of the people.
She was often fortified with the Eucharist, from receiving
h she was never able to be moved by the guile and
of demons. She died most holily on the 22nd
of October, 1633, distinguished by miracles both
• and after her death. Her body rests in our
clumh i whereof she was a most devout
worship!
Laura, of the Counts Gsbrielli, was born st
(iiilihio Although she was of very tender age, she was
rtbeleas constantly engaged in mortification of the
senses, prayers, fastings and meditations. Moved with
for the poor, she would refresh the indigent with the
meal prepared for herself, which practice she maintained
married In- In obedience to the will of her
parents, she married a man of equally high rank, yet she
ted nothing of the virtues practised in her previous
nay, rather she allured other noble women by her
word and example to a pious life, scorning vanities
ami avoiding dances; whereby she incurred the dis-
pleasure of her husband, who one day drove her from
house in a fit of anger, but, repenting of his deed,
recalled her. The pious woman bore all with invin
When widowed by her husband she gave her name to
rd Order, and walked barefoot, wearing rough
sackcloth. She was insulted by her relations, who disliked
tin- mode of life, with reproaches and stripes, but could
red from the rule she had adopted. Being
greatly concerned for the welfare of her neighbours, she
opened a hospice during her lifetime for girls who were
exposed to danger, at her own cost and with the alms
which she had collected. These girls she educated piously
and holily as long as she lived. She was often refreshed
with heavenly visions, and was enriched with gifts of
126 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
ecstasies, prophecy and miracles, and with other divine
graces, yet she thought so humbly about herself that she
always professed she was worthy of Gehenna. She died
most holily on the 10th of December, 1641. Her body
was translated to the church of St. Jerome.
4. Sister Virginia, sister of the last-named, by whose
exhortation she cultivated, even at a tender age, the
chastity of widowhood, and emulated her sister's virtues.
She died with a blessed ending (day and year un-
known).
5. Sister Victoria Raffaelli-Marioni, a noblewoman of
Gubbio, was moved by the example of her sister Laura,
lived a most holy life and died a most holy death (day and
year unknown).
6. Sister Angela Bosi, a noble lady of Gubbio, most
devoted adorer of the Blessed Virgin Mary, imitated the
life of her sister Laura, and was an example to all in her
good works. The date of her death is unknown.
7. Sister Lucretia Mengacci-Beccoli, of Gubbio, was a
very fervent tertiary. The day and year of her death are
unknown.
8. Sister Julia Massarelli, a widow of Gubbio, was a
pattern of all virtues. Day and year of decease unknown.
9. Sister Raphaela Gambocci, a widow, and Sister
Elizabeth, her virgin daughter, the former the sister, the
latter the niece, of the Blessed Octavia Gambocci, also
a tertiary of Gubbio, adhered most fully to St. Laura.
These, by serving God amongst the sick and assisting
girls in danger, acquired a celestial treasury, and passed
away to glory at an unknown date. The sacred remains
of all these are honourably preserved in the church of St.
Jerome.
In all our convents the Society of the Third Order is
established, and the chapel of the said Queen, St. Eliza-
beth, is found, wherein the brothers and sisters used to
meet under the direction of the commissary. Hence, if
all the deeds of our predecessors worthy of note had come
GUBBIO li-
do wn to us, assuredly the list of men and women who died
in the odour of sanctity would be full* r.
thar Michael-Angelo of Fabicella, Reader of Theo-
logy, wrote a "Life of Sister Maria Fedel, Sjh llaroeaa, a
r of the monastery of the Moat Holy Trinity of
Gubbio," which exists in M8.
CHAPTER V
BLESSED AGNES OF BOHEMIA
The Blessed Agnes, Princess of Bohemia and Poor
Clare, was born at Prague on the 20th of June, 1197. She
spent sixty-four years in the cloister, and died on the 2nd
of March, 1282. She was beatified by Pius IX in 1874,
though in Bohemia and North Italy she is generally
spoken of as St. Agnes of Bohemia. She was the daughter
of Primislas, King of Poland, and her mother was the
sister of the King of Hungary and aunt of St. Elizabeth
of Hungary.
Agnes was educated at the convents of Cistercian nuns
at Trebnitz and the nuns at Doxane, and early dedicated
her virginity to God. Twice she was betrothed by her
parents whilst she was a mere child, but in the first case
her fiance1 died, and in the second broke off the engage-
ment. At last, when she was in her teens, she was
engaged to the great tyrant Frederick II, whom we have
already come across as importer of those Saracens who
attacked Assisi. When, after many years, the Emperor
announced that he was coming to claim his bride, Agnes
wrote to the Pope and implored him to come to her aid
and help her to definitely enter the religious life.
Gregory IX sent a nuncio to Prague to aid the Princess,
and the state of affairs was made known to the irascible
Frederick. He seems to have been more amazed than
angry, and said : "Had she left me for a mortal man I
would have avenged myself with the sword ; but since she
prefers to me the King of Kings I can take no offence."
On Pentecost Sunday 1236 Agnes received the habit of
128
BLESSED AGNES OF BOHEMIA
Poor Ladies at the hands of the apostolic nuncio and
in the presence of the Court. She was fortified by a letter
from St. Clare and the presence of five of the Poor Ladies
from Assisi, who were to aid in forming this first house of
i Mer in Bohemia. In a second letter from St. Clare
is mention of various gifts she sends to her "dear
daughter," and these relics— a wooden cross, a rope girdle
and a wooden drinking-bowl, all of which had been used
by St. Clare— were long treasured at Prague, and are said
to have worked miracles.
Agnes was the first Princess of the blood royal to
become a Poor Clare, and she seems to have grasped the
idea of poverty and joy framed by St. Francis in the true
spin he Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandista it is
related : " You might see her, the daughter of Primislas,
King of Bohemia, lighting with her own bands the fire for
the sisters ; you might see her, the sitter of Wenceslaa.
g of Bohemia, cleaning out the dirty rooms; the
intended bride of the Emperor Frederick perspiring in
the kitchen like any scullery-maid. And while she did so
not with an angry and sour face, but filled with joy, and
by her sweet expression showing she was the true servant
of Christ. She behaved in this way not only to those who
were healthy, but she gladly extended her services to those
who were ill. She spread soft beds for them ; she carefully
removed all that was offensive to the eye or nose; she
prepared food with her own hands and cooked it nicely.
She wore herself out in untiring energy, so that the sick
might be freed from pain and restored to health." Agnes's
sympathy with the sick is shown in the hospital which
she founded for them, and which is in use to this day.
In 1238 Agnes secured from Gregory IX that precious
lege of poverty for her convent which Clare had
secured for St. Damiano : never was the convent at
Prague to be forced to receive possessions. The noblest
of the land were swarming to join Agnes : they were
" Ladies " indeed ; they were " Poor " indeed ! The third
E
180 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
letter of St. Clare to Agnes is wonderfully beautiful, and
probably with it went a copy of the First Rule. It was
a great thing for Agnes to have the Abbess of St. Damiano
fighting by her side, for the Popes showered privileges and
indulgences on the Princess. Her presents from the
Popes arrived constantly, in the form of permissions to
wear fur, shoes, stockings; the use of a mattress and a
feather pillow ! Agnes took no notice of these indul-
gences, but one privilege for herself and her sisters she
did avail herself of — the right to have Mass said in the
choir, so that all could see the priest at the altar, five times
a year. Few understand how the Poor Clare deprives
herself of religious privileges in entering the cloister — all
the softer charms of religion are put aside, together with
the worldly luxuries. No more the gorgeous cathedral
Mass, the brilliant preacher, the beautiful singing ! The
Poor Clare is austere in everything.
Agnes lived to over eighty years of age, though she
practised many mortifications and passed through great
bodily suffering. On her death-bed she said to her sisters :
"Love God and trust in Him, and He will ever come to
your succour. And hold fast to poverty : it is the bone
and blood and life of our religion."
The following are the four precious letters of St. Clare
to the Blessed Agnes — slightly abbreviated to avoid
repetition —
Letter I.
To the illustrious and venerable virgin Agnes, daughter
of the powerful and ever-invincible King of Bohemia,
Clare, the unworthy handmaid of Jesus Christ, and ser-
vant of the virgins consecrated to God in the monastery
of St. Damiano, sends her spiritual greetings, and with a
profound respect prays that she may enjoy the glory of
eternal happiness.
We have heard with a great joy of your holy and blame-
less life, the fame of which is spread abroad throughout
BLESSED AGNES OF BOHEMIA 181
almost all the world. We, who desire above all things to
do the will of Jesus Christ, rejoice and exult because you
chosen the contempt of the world in preference to
uours, and because you have embraced with all your
soul poverty in i e to temporal riches, heavenly
treasures before those of earth. Also that you have been
deem My to be the mother, sister and bride of the
Son of the Most High God. His love will satisfy you,
dear sister, as it exceeds beyond understanding all the
pleasures and joys of this world ; He will crown you \
a golden crown signed with the sign of holiness.
\\ iun tor. I exhort you, O lady of great reverence, be
og in courage and fervour of soul in the holy service
which you have begun. Lay aside all incumbrances, since
he who is naked can wrestle more freely with his adver-
sary than he who is burdened with garments — and he who
is elotM.d in 8m rami, nt cannot IfW with tin- world and
hope >ry. It is difficult to live in splendour in this
to reign with Christ in the life to comet It is
1 1 is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter heaven 1 " Cast away,
then, those superfluous garments, the goods of this world,
and so enter into the spiritual combat freer and disembar-
rassed. Add virtue to virtue, so that the Lord, whom
you serve in such love and humility, may clothe you I
I grace and adorn you with His heavenly gifts.
o I beseech you to graciously commend me and my
sisters here with me to our Lord Jesus Christ in your
prayers, that we may also become worthy of His m
and His glory in the life to come.
Farewell. Live in the Lord and pray for me.
Alleluia !
Letter 11.
ire, the lowly and unworthy servant of the Poor
Ladies at St. Damiano, wishes health to the Queen Agnes,
daughter of the King of Kings and spouse of Jesus Christ.
K 2
182 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
I thank and praise God unceasingly for all those
heavenly gifts and virtues with which He has enriched
and clothed your soul, and that you have been found
worthy of becoming the spouse of the Heavenly King.
You have rejected the pomps and vanities of an earthly
kingdom, and have become instead a lover of holy poverty,
and have followed the way of Jesus with humility and a
burning love.
By His love, I beseech you, meditate daily on your
vocation and persevere in those high resolutions with
which God is pleased to inspire you. Like another
Rachel, have ever in remembrance the beginning of your
religious life. Guard jealously all you have gained and
go forward with speed and swiftness on that heavenly
road, lest in lingering your feet should become soiled by
the dust of earth. Keep your way then joyfully, tranquilly
and earnestly, and listen to none who would move you
from your noble resolves or place stumbling-stones in your
way.
Aim always at perfection, and pray without ceasing to
the Most High for it ; follow the counsels of our revered
father, Brother Elias, Minister-General of our Order, and
value them as a precious treasure and above all other
counsels.
Burn with a longing to liken yourself to Jesus. If
you suffer now with Him you shall also be glorified with
Him ; if you sorrow with Him you shall rejoice with
Him.
Farewell, most beloved sister and virgin, blessed in your
Spouse. Graciously pray for us without ceasing, and
know that we rejoice always in the good things God has
spoken to you.
Letter III.
I rejoice in the Lord at the tidings received of your
health and continual progress in virtue. Sweet sister,
beloved in Christ, the joy of angels and our sisters' crown,
BLESSED AGNKS OF BOH KM I A 133
you have made yourself the support and strength of the
weak and suffering members of His mystical body.
Love the Son of the Eternal Father with your whole
heart, as He with a whole heart offered Himself for you.
Love that holy Virgin Mother who bore in the slender
womb of her body the God- Man. and imitate her always
in humility and blessed poverty, that you may bear Him
always spiritually in your heart.
......
I come now to the points which you asked me to explain
that is, what festivals are those on which we are
Aed to vary our food. I will write them for you, my
beloved, just as our holy Father Francis specially taught
us they should be kept.
ept the weak and infirm, to whom be ordered every
consideration should be paid, no one is permitted to take
other than Lenten fare, whether on ordinary days or on
festivals. We who are in good health fast daily, except
on Sundays and on Christmas Day (and on these days we
may take two meals). Likewise on Thursdays it is accord-
ing as each one is disposed, so that to whoever it seems
good not to fast is not compelled to do so. Also we are
not bound to fsst on the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
Mary and of the Holy Apostles, unless they fall on a
Friday. But those of us who are strong always use
Lenten fare. But as our flesh is not iron, nor have we
the strength of marble, I beg yon earnestly, beloved sister,
to avoid a too rigorous abstinence, which I believe you
now observe, so that while you live snd hope in the Lord
you may render Him a service full of reason, and the
sacrifice you offer Him may be seasoned with salt of
prudence.
Farewell in our Lord.
Lbttbr IV.
0 mother, daughter and spouse of the King of all ages,
184 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
I have not written so often as my soul and yours would
have wished, but think not, therefore, that the great love
I bear you has grown fainter or one whit less. I love you
ever as your mother's heart loved you.
0 happy one ! to you it has been given to taste the holy
joys of a heavenly union with the Lamb without spot who
taketh away the sins of the world. . . .
When engaged in your meditations remember your poor
mother, and know that I have written the happy remem-
brance of you indelibly on the tablets of my heart, hold-
ing you dear above all others. Need I say more, 0 blessed
daughter? The tongue of my body is silent in loving thee,
for it cannot express the love I bear you ; it is for the
tongue of the spirit to speak. Wherefore kindly and
graciously accept that which I have so imperfectly
written, and see in it at least that mother's love which
I daily feel for you and my other daughters.
Farewell , my beloved one ! Farewell to you and your
daughters until we meet at the glorious throne of the
great God. Pray to Him for us.
1 commend earnestly to your charity our most dear
brothers whom we have sent as messengers : Amato,
beloved of God and man, and Brother Bonagia.
CHAPTER VI
Anonyma of a German friar, which is
extant at St. Isidore in Home, gives us the beginnings
of seven convents of St. Clare in Germany, and will serve
as an introduction to the story of Charitas Pirkheimer,
the great abbess of Nuremberg, the friend of Albrecht
I Erasmus and Melanchthon, and the worthy adver-
sary of the Lutheran reform.
The following translation is from the Latin edition of
bar Luke Carey, 1884—
Convents op the Sisters op St. Clare.
SeffUmj
In ad 1237, St. Clare sent some holy virgin sisters
to Bohemia and Germany, who came through Tri
turn (Tivnp, where a monastery had been built for tl
in. where some of them remained and began to I
a poor little monastery or dwelling in a place called "Uff
dem Griess," where now stands the somewhat wealthy
hospital of St. Elizabeth. Here they lived at first m
mis or institutions of St. Benedict, observing, never-
*s, the constitutions of St. Clare, their mother. And
at length they abandoned the rule of St. Benedict, and
adhered entirely to the constitutions of St. Clare. The first
abbess was named Hedwig. There was at that time a
certain mature and devoted friar of our Order of Minors,
named Albert, by whose government and direction those
rs lived in all holiness and profited greatly. They
built a dwelling in the said place, where at that I
1S5
136 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
there was a court named Miinchhoff uff dem Griess, which
a nobleman — Udabricus of Freiberg — bestowed freely
upon the said sisters. But when those sisters had dwelt
there devoutly for some years, they decided to move their
establishment outside the town of Ulm. A certain devout
matron, the Countess of Dillingen, heard of this, and with
the consent and approval of the Counts of Dillingen,
presented and endowed a building site in Sefflingen for
the said sisters, and there founded a monastery for
seventy-two of the Order of St. Clare, whilst St. Clare
herself was still living. Thus the monastery of Sefflingen,
dedicated to Blessed Mary, first began in Upper Aleman-
nia ; whereinto those devout and holy sisters entered first
in 1258 on the day of the Purification of the Blessed
Virgin.
Pope Alexander IV granted to them the same privileges
as the sisters of Clare had in St. Damien's, as his letters
show. Certain sisters also, professed according to the
Order of St. Clare whilst she was still living amongst
mortals, returned to Ulm from the colony where the
Order of St. Clare had been planted. With them they
brought three heads of the sacred virgins of the Society
of St. Ursula, which remain in Sefflingen to-day. So also
this monastery in Upper Alemannia became as it were
the mother of other monasteries of the Order of St. Clare,
viz., Anger in Munich, of St. Cecilia in Pfillingen, and of
St. Mary Magdelene in Nuremberg, of St. Agnes in
Herbipolis, and of very many others which received their
origin and growth from the said monastery of Sefflingen.
This convent was reformed in the year 1404. There are
now forty sisters there.
In Fabri's old Latin chronicle of Ulm there is a
characteristic story of this convent. Christine Strolin,
the abbess of Sefflingen, in 1489 faced a crowd of friars
and citizens, who "marched upon Sefflingen in a great
crowd, as though to fight for the glory of God." They
had with them the abbess and some nuns of a " reformed "
CHARTTAS V. LUTHER 137
Order, and they insisted in installing them in the convent,
used to be deposed; she took up her coffer
and walked out, and every one of her nuns followed
— no threats or persuasions could stop them. They took
.:« in the house of a friend, and appealed to the
bishop. There was probably something to be said on both
■das, for Christine was re-installed on promising to adopt
some reforms. The loyalty of her sisters appealed also
■is, who would no longer back up the friars
hie methods ; probably also the firmness and
steadfastness of < Iris-tine — worthy daughter of Clare and
■•tor of Charitas — also won their admiration.
To return to the Chronica.
Pfiilingen.
In the year 1250, while St. Clare was still alive, a
monastery of the Order of St. Clare was started at
ingen in the Church of St. Cecilia the Virgin, by the
devout and noble ladies Irmela, or Irmegilda, and Mech-
fchfl Feast of St. Martin. But in ad. 1252,
on the Feast of St. Othmer, abbot, there came sisters from
or Sefflingen, from the monastery which had already
been begun but not yet completed, and were solemnly
inducted into the said monastery near Pfiilingen.
the year of our Lord 1278, on the Feast of St. Catharine,
those two devout matrons, already mentioned, received
the Order of St. Clare, wherein they lived
there holily and died happily in the family of God.1
Convent of Alentbach.
In the year 1283. on the 13th of August, a new settle-
ment of the Order of St. Clare began in the monastery
of Alonsbach near Keyserberg. In this monastery from
1 It now contain* two Uy sister*.
138 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
its commencement there dwelt nuns of the Order of St.
Benedict, by whose levity and extravagance, when the
rulers of their Order had fallen away from their vigour,
the goods of the monastery had been entirely wasted.
At length it was handed over to the sisters of the Order
of St. Clare, who are stated to have spent some time
previously in the town Kunsheim, next to the parish
church, as the pictures both of the Orders of Minors and
St. Clare painted on the walls still bear witness. On the
first day then of entrance into the said monastery, forty
noble and honourable persons abandoned the secular life
and assumed the Order of St. Clare, in the presence of
the lords of the land and of a countless multitude of the
chief people of both sexes from the surrounding cities,
towns and villages, assumed the habit of the Order with
the greatest solemnity and entered the monastery, wherein
they observed the sacred rule and profited greatly.
Nuremberg.
In the year 1278, on the 10th day of July, in the first
year of his pontificate, Pope Nicholas III sent a letter to
Benedict, Lord Bishop of Bamberg, that he should in-
corporate into the Order of St. Clare the prioress and
sisters of Nuremberg, who were called penitents. These
had been professed in the Order of St. Augustine by
William, Bishop of Paris, and had been confirmed by
Pope Gregory IX, but had been dissolved at the Council
of Lugdana. They were desirous of entering the Order
of St. Clare, as was set forth in the entreaty of the prioress
and the sisters of the whole of their convent, and of
Lord Rudolph, King of the Romans, and of his wife,
who were interceding for them. This the bishop most
promptly carried out by Lord Erichto, deacon of the
Church of Bamberg, and Brother Albert, guardian of the
Brothers Minor in Bavaria, and by Andrew, lay reader of
Bamberg, to whom he committed their shares in the
I IIARITAS V. LUTHER 180
following year, about the Feast of
hey brought to Nuremberg several sisters of
ire of Sefflingen, and thus was the
r of St. Clare planted in that spot. This convent,
y rich, is now wholly reduced i bo power
of the Senate of Nuremberg. There still remain two
i-s weakened with age, who are allowed to stay there
durii line, but without the exercise of religion.
Anger.
I ti the year 1284 there came to Munich four sisters of
Clare, who began the convent in Anger,
an. I brothers joined them in due course. This monastery
was reorganised on the Feast of the 11,000 Virgin
the same year and under the same Prince as the Brothers
of Munich There are forty sisters.
Hailbrunn.
The first monastery of the Order of St. Clare was cer-
tainly near the imperial town of Hailbrunn,1 in a village
calK territory and dominion of the nobles
ilheim, who bestowed on the poor little sisters many
temporal goods from consideration for the Divine honours,
as is found in a letter dated 1293. But I consider that
the sisters from Sefflingen, joined by some from
Ttillingen, were the first to plant the Order of St. Clare
But in the course of time, on account of the in-
conveniences of the wars and the poverty of the establish-
ment, they were transferred with all their furniture and
belongings to the town of Hailbrunn, where they built
a small and humble monastery in a corner of the city
and served God in penury. But at length, whilst they
were spending their time there, the nobles of Talheim
1 There are now twenty-three sisters Miring God freely.
140 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
again made them the offering of a little house in assured
possession, as letters dated a.d. 1334 bear witness. In
this establishment they still remain serving God.
Bamberg.
In the year 1344 a monastery of the sisters of the Order
of St. Clare was begun in the city of Bamberg in Zinckvn-
werd Street by a devout virgin named Catharine Zoll-
verein, and the first stone was laid. In the year 1343,
on the day of St. Thomas of Canterbury, sisters of this
Order were inducted, and there they remain serving God
at the present time.1
Let us enlarge on the brief note on Nuremberg on page
138, for the sake of Charitas Pirkheimer, no saint, per-
haps, but a wonderful woman and a great Poor Clare.
She was born on the 21st of March, 1466, of good
family, and educated at the Poor Clares of Nuremberg,
and passed from the schoolroom to the cloister. In 1503,
at the age of forty-three, she was elected abbess. Charitas
resembled St. Clare in many ways — particularly in stead-
fastness and perseverance and absolute loyalty to the
Order; but also in a keen intellect and affectionate dis-
position. The letters of Charitas are as interesting as
those of St. Clare ; and Charitas gathered round her in
the cloister her worldly family, just as Clare had done.
One of her sisters, Clara, joined her in the convent,
and became her secretary ; another became a Poor Clare
at Munich ; two of her nieces also entered the convent
and delighted in loyalty to their abbess and their aunt.
Charitas had only one brother — Wilibald Pirkheimer — a
man of position and culture, who counted Erasmus and
Diirer amongst his friends. Through this brother
Charitas had made acquaintance with a scholar called
Celtes, with whom she carried on a Latin correspondence.
1 There are twenty-four sisters.
CHARITAS V. LITIIKR 141
n she was elected abbess, the Friars Minor, who
e convent, called upon her to give up the practice
of writing Latin. They must have been beforehand in
Ige of the proverb —
"La femme qui parle Utin.
L'enf&nt qui act noarri de vin,
finl#i1 qai huMtros mi —tin.
Ne riennent point 4 boas* fin
Miss Eckensteii. in her Woman under Monattieum,
says that Charitas conformed— to the fury of Wilibald ; but
1'oor Clares say that in spits of all her occupations,
and 1 i of the friars, Charitas kept
up In r study of Latin and of the fathers. St. Jerome
was her favourite author, and she often gave conferences
on his works to the sisters; also she read to them con-
stantly from the Bible — sometimes in Latin, sometimes
in the vulgar tongue. We learn also that by a special
indulgence from the Pope, Charitas was allowed to accept
igan for the church, and she strove for the edification
of her sisters by inviting the most celebrated and most
pious priests to come and preach to them. Some of the
sisters used to make notes of these sermons, and then
send fair copies to other convents. So it is evident this
was a community of highly educated and well-informed
nuns. Of th< ir steadfastness in the faith we shall bear
more later on .
But troubled times were coming to break up this charm-
ing devotional and intellectual life, and Charitas forsook
writing, and kept instead a "Man
which has luckily been published. Luther had com-
menced his attacks on the Church, and in 1522 the
Council of Nuremberg was busy applauding him; even
Wilibald called himself a "good Lutheran," and said he
was all for reform. But Charitas was in tears. It was
no reform that was intended, she said, but a cruel and
ly attack. And before long Wilibald had come to
agree with her and had returned to bis allegiance to
142 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Holy Church, and stood by his sisters in the persecution
which now began.
In her " Memoir " Charitas writes : " Many powerful and
ill-minded persons came to see the friends they had in
our convent, and told them of the new teaching of the
Lutherans, and how it was an evil thing and a temptation
to take vows, and that in that state we could not keep
holy and were all of the devil. Some wished to take their
friends and relations out of the convent by force, and
made all sorts of promises and persuasions, the half of
which they doubtless would not have kept. This argu-
ing and disputing went on for a very long time, and there
was often anger and ill-language. But since none of the
nuns would consent to go, thanks to God's grace, it was
declared that the blame lay with the friars, who en-
couraged us, and that it would be possible to convince us
of the new belief if we had other preachers and
confessors."
By the action of the municipality the Friars Minor were
withdrawn from the convent, and Lutheran preachers
were sent to occupy the pulpit, and Sunday after Sunday
the poor nuns had to sit and listen to denunciations of all
they held most dear. Also they were deprived of the
sacraments, for they refused to confess to these preachers
— they could have no confidence in them.
Easter came on. "We have indeed had a long and
troublous Lent," wrote Charitas, "without any religious
ceremonies appropriate to the holy season — no preaching
of the Passion — no offices. Good Friday with its cross
and Easter with its Alleluia have alike passed in silence,
for we cannot obtain a priest."
The reformed preachers were, with their wild sermons,
infuriating the populace against the nuns; and though
Charitas was absolutely firm she was in daily fear of the
convent being attacked and burnt to the ground. In a
letter from Wilibald to Melanchthon, he says: "The
preachers shriek, swear and storm, moving heaven and
CHAKITAS V. 1.1 1111 148
to rouse the haired of the misses against the poor
hey say to the populace that words are of no
avail, but that they must take to force. It is a miracle
that the cloister has not already been pillaged and ravaged,
so adroit is this rousing of popular hate."
1 Charitaa writes in her journal : " We are in daily
terror of being expelled by force. The extern sisters
can with difficulty procure us sufficient food, for the
market-women attack them every morning in furious
manner. Our best friends no longer dare come near us,
nemies penetrate hardily into the parlour in order
to insult the religious."
Meanwhile the other Orders were dispersing— were
g before the storm. The Austinians, the Carmelites,
the Benedictines and the Carthusians had fled : the
Dominicans were hesitating ; the Franciscans refused to
py
The municipality sent a deputation to Charitaa request-
ing her to release her nuns from their vows that they
might have freedom ; bidding her remove the grille, and
ing all the nuns doff the habit, since it gave umbrage
to the people.
Chantas waa almost bitter in her reply ; she said that
the nuns had made their vows to God — not to her ; that
a grille were removed the house would be at the mercy
of men not to be trusted ; that the populace need not see
them in their habits so long as they left them in their
cloister. The nuns stood loyally by their intrepid abbess,
and no threats or persuasions could make them leave.
Only force was lift On the Feast of Corpus Christi
> a crowd of people seised three of the young nuns
lie chapel and dragged them away in spite of their
cries sud stnsjglse.
1 1) the autumn of that year MftlsfwhthAP visited Nurem-
berg and went early to see Charitas. They talked for
four hours. He was shocked st the persecutions to which
she bad been subjected. She was charmed with his
144 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
moderation, but unmoved in her faith in Holy Church.
She writes : " He is certainly the most modest of all the
doctors of the Lutheran reform that I have met. He
made me a long discourse, and avowed that holiness was
as possible in the world as in the cloister. We were in
agreement on all points except that of vows — he held that
these were not binding. He condemned the methods
employed against the Clares, and we parted quite
amicably. Then he visited the Mayor and Town Council,
and told them to their faces that it was a great sin to
have deprived us of the spiritual ministrations of the
Brothers Minor, and to have torn our children from our
arms by force."
The Council decided to make one more attempt to
induce the nuns to disperse, and if they refused to leave
them alone to die out. This last attempt took place in
1528. Each nun was seen separately and asked to leave ;
only one consented. The remainder were left in a state
of boycott, and forbidden to receive postulants or
novices.
Some sort of peace now fell on the convent, and at
Christmas of this year the silver jubilee of the installation
of Charitas as abbess was celebrated with rejoicing.
Charitas and her convent had emerged from a long and
serious battle without loss of glory, without reproach.
Their courage and sanctity had triumphed over all trials.
It was felt by all that the convent and the abbess had
proved themselves worthy of the Order — had shown that
fearlessness and steadfastness and loyalty to their ideal
which had distinguished their holy mother Clare. No
wonder that they danced to the dulcimer and sang their
Te Deum.
But though a joyous it was also a solemn day. " In the
morning the entire community went in procession, carry-
ing candles, to fetch the Reverend Mother. The prioress
crowned her with flowers, and then we conducted her
to the choir, singing Regina mundi. Mother abbess was
CHARITAS /'. LUIHU
weci h emotion, not with grief. She presided
the offices. We chanted very solemnly all the
parts of the Maes. The Reverend Mother exposed the
Biassed Sacrament, and we all adored; it seemed to os
we made spiritual communion. To console us for not
being able to receive really, we thought of the words of
Augustine : "Believe, and ye shall be satisfied." Then
our hererend Mother seated herself below the altar, snd
we all filed past her, from the oldest to the youngest, snd
to each she gave the kiss of peace with inexpressible
tenderness. In her hand abe held some rings, and we
each received one in recognition of our faithfulness to our
Heavenly Spouse, and of our fresh promise to ever keep
the faith." Such is the account given by Catherine
in a letter to her father.
ink of those women to whom the sacraments meant
so much, unable to communicate on such an occasion!
the chief consolations of their religion snd
yet staunch and true in their desolation I That they were
able to have the Blessed Sacrament in their midst was
due to the fervour of the Abbess of Bamberg, who at
long intervals would send a disguised priest to them
bearing the Sacred Host concealed.
In IMS Charitas died, and was succeeded for a few
months by her sister— then she died. The niece
rine was then elected, "and walked with firm steps
f the glorious Charitas. Like her illustrious
aunt, she strove until death — which overtook her after
thirty years' reign." She was so valiant, so wise, so strong
during these long years of darkness and trouble that her
s seemed to see their beloved Charitas again in her.
But after the death of Catherine the desolation was
me; but few of the sisters were left alive, and one
by one death called them away, until in 1591 the last
departed, and the silence fell.
Of the sixty Poor Clares of Nuremberg, it is recorded
in spite of the preachings of over forty I
L
146 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
pastors they had to listen to, and in spite of all the trials
and temptations, there was only one apostate. Her name
is' mercifully hidden — blotted out — for her record outside
the cloister was down the paths of perdition.
As we have to record the closing of the Nuremberg monas-
tery, it is well to refer to a daughter house in the Tyrol
that is occupied to this day. At a very early date the
Poor Clares had gone to Brixen, and had enjoyed many
years of peace there before in 1453 an over-energetic
legate — Cusanus, determined to reform them. He had
already fallen foul of the wealthy Benedictine convent at
Sonnenburg — for he was invested with special visitation
powers, such as were granted later to Cardinal Wolsey in
England — and now he turned his attention to the Poor
Ladies at Brixen. But though less wealthy, they were
as stubborn as the Benedictines, and Cusanus resorted
to force to expel the abbess and sisters. There was a
great outcry and an appeal to Rome. Cusanus was cen-
sured for his methods and the nuns for their opposition,
and the Poor Clares of Nuremberg were requested to put
matters straight. So the abbess was reinstated with some
nuns from Nuremberg to aid her in certain reforms, and
peace was restored.
In the old chronicles of these quarrels it is absolutely
necessary to remember "other times, other manners," for
the language the bishop and the nuns used about one
another is decidedly strong !
Now-a-days it would certainly create a commotion if
a bishop with armed followers rode up to "reform" a
nunnery ; and if the nuns shrieked defiance at him from
the upper windows! Why, even to the gendarmes in
Prance the Poor Clares are as gentle as doves !
Be it noted that the blustering, tactless Cusanus never
accused the nuns of aught but slackness ; there was never
any question of immorality. But he seems to have been
utterly unfitted for the powers entrusted to him; and
( II UUTAS r. LUTHBfl 147
whet iope was elected, those powers were
promptly withdra
• following note re Brixen occurs in the Anal
ncucana —
gismond, Duke of Austria (about 1460), most
ly broke into the monsstery of St. Clare in Brixen,
rmed by the Cardinal Nicolas Cusanus,
and hiving bound hains the father coufessor,
las of Prussia — a devout man — imprisoned him in
iungeon of a very high tower. The sisters them-
selves, overcome with fear, took to flight, and entered the
territory of the most illustrious Lord Albertus, Archduk.
of Austria, whereupon the best provision was made for
them by the Lady Mechtild. . Inn w
brief record of Axgbb, on page 139, tells of the
founding of a convent that was afterwards chiefly famous
as the elossssr whan thr«*«- dj&msjmi dl tin- Bmh <»f
Bavaria sought peace : Agnes, daughter of Louis of
Bavaria ; Barbe, daughter of Albert 1 1 1 and Marie Anne
Caroline, daughter of Max Emanuel and Therese Cune-
le, daughter of Sobieski, King of Poland. They all
three left saintly memories. In 1707 Prince Max
Emanuel had the tombs of the first two opened, end
ied to Rome for pontifical authorization for the |»
ration of their relics : the process was commenced,
but not continued. Marie Anne was born at Brussels on
the 4th of August, 1696, and when about twenty years of
sge, seems to have decided to enter the religious life. In
< one of her brothers, who was studying for the priest-
hood at Borne, died, and this sad event turned Marie
Anin'.s thoughts still more towards the cloister. She was
in correspondence with Sister Mary Frances Himmelin of
\nger convent, the daughter of a tailor, who was
wards to become her novice-mistress ; and at Christ-
mas 1718 she entered the convent for a retreat, and whilst
there told her confessor her desire. He told her sharply
that she must understand that she would be conferring
L 2
148 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
no favour on the community, but that rather they would
act graciously should they consent to receive her. Very
humbly she admitted the truth of his words. Her great
difficulty was to find courage to tell her father of her
vocation ; but at last she spoke, and the Prince, very
wisely, bade her go and spend three months in the convent
and then come and talk it over again. Her emotion, her
joy, was so great, that she swooned several times whilst
driving to the convent. Once inside the walls she never
left them again. Her family begged her to return to the
world just for a few months, to make sure that she did
not regret the pleasures of the Court, but she refused,
and so instead they all assembled to see her take the
habit. The royal house of Bavaria is used to princesses
who take the veil : there have been forty-one of them
who have entered different Orders.
The Princess Marie Anne became Sister Emanuela, and
at the end of her year in the noviciate wrote to her father
for permission to take the vows. " It is my duty to inform
Your Highness of the reasons for which I desire to enter
this estate. I have the honour to assure Your Highness
that I have only taken this resolution after consulting
those who have the direction of my conscience, and after
praying our Lord to make plain to me His holy will.
Therefore I trust to be sustained by His grace in the ful-
filling of my obligations, for my sole desire is to live
according to the doctrine of Jesus Christ."
With great ceremony, in the presence of many royalties,
the profession took place. Kneeling before the abbess the
Sister Emanuela put her hands between those of the
abbess and pronounced the solemn vows. Then all her
worldly family said farewell to the happy sister of St.
Clare.
There remain certain directions of the confessor towards
his royal penitent, who seems to have merited her pet
name of "Little Dove," if for simplicity only. The
director says that Sister Emanuela should say her prayers
CHARITAS P. LUTHKH 149
timeM whilst pacing the cloister, for she seems to
think prayers can only be said kneeling ; she should better
observe holy silence ; the Reverend Mother most not allow
her to be late in going to bed — and so on. A sensible
confessor this, for there is no doubt that Sister Emanuela
was but a delicate flower. She was constantly in ecstasy.
and knew and declared the moment of her father's death.
Wars now fell on unhappy Havana, and the Austrian
iera took Munich, and were quartered even in the
convent harlea VII— brother of Sister
Emanuela — had to fly, and just when events were turning
more in his favour he died. Throughout these trials
8ister Emanuela retained her simplicity and resignation.
If she was ever given a choice aa to her duties, etc., her
invariable reply was : " I have no wishes — I have given
my will to God. I pray you to command me wb;>
ncess Marie Anne Joseph, her niece, wrote : " We
often go to the convent, most frequently to Anger, where
rrincess, my aunt, is a religious. She lives a pious
g to the rule of St. Clare, which is one of
the most severe, snd under which she is forbidden to
wear a linen chemise or to eat meat. Even when
wanted to dispense her from the last rule because of ill -
* h and her former Court living, she would not consent.
humility n mortifications are an example
to all. She is more content in this state then if she were
a great queen."
ree years before her death Sister Emanuela was
»n with paralysis. The end came in October 1750.
She was fifty-four years of age.
In 1803, at the French invasion, the Poor Clares were
tamed <>ut of the monastery of Anger In 1809 I»
gave this dismantled convent to the sisters of Notre Dame,
having first carefully removed the remains of the three
Princesses — Agnes, Bar be, and Marie Anne Caroline — to
the royal mausoleum at Notre Dame, where they now rest.
150 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
In this convent in the year 1631 was confined the
saintly Mary Ward, foundress of Gravelines, and of the
Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "Maria della
Guardia " — as the Italians called her — had been travelling
about the Continent and establishing her schools far and
wide and making friends with the powerful everywhere.
But she had managed to rouse ill-feeling in some small
persons, and they denounced her as a heretic, and on
the 13th of January, 1631, Pope Urban signed a bull
for the suppression of the Institute. Mary was in one
of her houses in Munich — the celebrated Paradiser Haus
— when Dean Golla came to arrest her, and he consigned
her to the care of the Poor Clares of the Anger. The
sisters seem to have recognized the sweet virtues of their
prisoner, and Mary Ward ever spoke gratefully of the
respect and kindness they showed her; but they were
left no choice about confining her to one room, and the
only room available was small and unsavoury, with little
light and air. Here Mary was reduced to death's door,
and received the last sacraments. The sisters of the
Paradiser Haus had written a petition to Rome in favour
of their mother, and in April, after three months' incar-
ceration, the order came to release Mary Ward and send
her to Rome to answer the charges. It is only now, in
the twentieth century, that Mary Ward is beginning to
be truly known and valued.
Dusseldorf must serve as a link to bring the history
of the German Clares down to to-day. It was founded
from Tongres in Belgium in 1857 , and follows the Collet-
tine rule. When the Reverend Mother went on to Routers
to make a foundation there, she left as abbess Mother
Marie of the Immaculate Conception, a most able and
energetic woman. For sixteen years the community lived
in peace, till the Kulturkampf compelled most religious
orders in Germany to disband. The order, which was
issued by the Government, called upon the religious either
to leave the country or to return to their own families;
KODBKM KKKKCTOKY (ULLLJX(iHAM).
CHARITAS V. LITHKR
and the heads of communities were compelled by law to
read it to the assembled religious.
igine the surprise of the nuns one day when they
had those orders read to tbem 1 v, Mother Marie
was able to announce at the same time that she had
arranged a refuge for them at Tongerlo in Holland, but
that preferred to return home, the bishop was
ready to dispense them from their rowi of poverty and
obedience, if they would preserve that of chastity. Not
a single sister but preferred exile I So to the little private
house in Tongerlo the community went, using one room
as a chapel, a portion of another as parlour by day and
dormitory by night, and the abbess shared a bedroom with
<»y ware not allowed to beg in Tongerlo, so had to
trust to the alms sent them by the extern sisters they
had left at Dusseldorf— the life was altogether one of
great trial. During this time they made a foundation in
rioa under the saintly Mother Veronica. At last in
1877 the community moved into a more convenient house
it liarreveld. After an exile of twelve years the Kultur
kampf came to an end, and in 1887 the community
received a permit to return to Dusseldorf, and there they
still continue their cloistered lii
There are other convents of Poor Clares at Minister,
Revelaar, Ratisbonne and elsewhere, but spirituality is
at a discount in Germany just now.
CHAPTEK VII
SOME AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS
The following translation from the Analecta Francis-
cana gives the story of foundations at Judenberg, Vienna
and Gratz.
Convent of Nuns of the Order of St. Clare of Judenberg
in Styria, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin "in Paradise."
The convent of nuns of St. Clare of Judenberg in
Austria, situated at scarcely half-an-hour's distance from
the city of that name, resting on the base of the mount
after which the city is named on the one side, and on the
other side close to the bank of the river Mur, which flows
by, is popularly called "In Paradise," not so much on
account of the healthfulness of the air and the delightful-
ness of the meadows, woods, etc., as on account of its
singular devotion towards the Mother of the Word (that
Mother who is the source of all beauty). It received its
blessed beginnings from St. Clare, the pious founder of
Poor Virgins, whilst she was still amongst the living ;
moreover, so that the Order started by herself at Assisi
in Umbria should spread like a fruitful parent into other
countries as well, about the year 1221 she transplanted
certain sisters like young plants into Germany, and so
to this spot of Upper Styria. The archives of the
province, in an exceedingly ancient MS., record that a
somewhat small church of the sisters, called "recluses,"
obtained the benefit of consecration in the year 1222,
whence it follows that they had then already fixed their
seat at Judenberg, though they lived not in a cloister, but
152
ME AUSTRIAN FOUNDATION > i ;..s
in an enclosed boose. But the notewc ty of a
certain citizen of .ludenberg, named Henry, did not
permit them to lack very long a duly appointed monaa-
and accordingly be and his wife, Giala, being both
m persons of wealth, made very large « ions
towards building a formal cloister— from which time I
they may justly claim the title of "first founders,0 even
to the present. The beginnings of the convent building
were made in the year 1257. But in the previous year,
in order that all things concerning the building as well as
the rule of life might be carried out according to the rule
of the holy foundress, two disciples of St. Clara (who after
a most happy rule of forty-two years died at Assisi in the
year 1255), a sister named Benedicts and another whose
name ia unknown, were called from St. Damien'a (the
convent of the holy foundress) to Judenbcrg. After s rule
nr years they returned to Assisi, leaving the new
plants an abundant supply of the holy seeds of virtue.
Pope Innocent IV, by an edict dated ad. 1254 at
Anagnia, placed the sisters of Judenberg under the
minister of the province, and by incorporating them gave
them a share of all the privileges granted to the sisters of
St. Clare at St. Damien
Wrongs, the misfortunes of the times, the invasions of
Turks and the frequent ravages of contagious disease,
vice reduced ull the sisterhood to one, so to speak,
transferred them at one time to the diocesan power and
jurisdiction, until at length Martin, Bishop of Seccovis,
by an open document dated Leibnitz. 1506, restored the
com ii th. religious living in it, to the Order and
to the rule of the superiors of our province. When
Luther's most perverse teachings made their evil way
very freely throughout these regions, and prevented
virgins being received, on account of the prevailing fury
s, the pristine brightness of the observances
of the rule began to be much overclouded from the small
number of nuns; wherefore, in answer to the entreaties
154 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of Her Serene Highness Marianna, Archduchess of Austria,
the high Pontiff Paul granted by the letter of the most
eminent Cardinal Borghesej dated Borne, the 3rd of
October, 1609, that two nuns whom they call "chorales"
should return to transfer themselves from the royal
Viennese "Parthenon" of St. Clare to Judenberg, and
should cause the original conventual regulations to be
observed more rigorously, and lastly, that one of them
should have authority to perform the office of abbess.
Sister Anna Eeselmayrin, having therefore been deputed
from the said royal monastery, a person conspicuous for
her piety, prudence and virtue, it is wonderful to relate
with what eagerness of spirit she set about the work of
reformation. Happily, she was so greatly assisted by
grace breathed from on high that her devout daughters,
already disposed from other sources towards piety, and
obediently imitating their mistress and teacher in all
things , after a few years had progressed so greatly in piety
and character that some of them were accepted to occupy
the cloister of nuns, founded in honour of All Saints at
Gratz by the Archduchess Maria in 1603, together with
others who had been summoned from Bavaria as religious
inmates of that building. The Venerable Mother Anna,
a zealous reformer, who presided over this convent with
the greatest advantage and the utmost faithfulness for
about twenty years, being a worthy superior, was six
times re-elected abbess. Abundantly filled with merits
both before God and man, and having won already an
unfading crown in heaven, she was taken from the living,
not without the reputation of sanctity, on the 21st of April,
1630, amidst the tears of the devout daughters who were
under her. After the space of five years, when the old
cloister, which was next door to ruin, was being rebuilt,
her body was exhumed, and was found undecayed,
flexible, emitting a wonderful odour, and with a percept-
ible flush of colour still upon it.
As the old church-monastery building, on account of
^
• ME AUSTRIAN IOUNDATION
age, was causing much trouble, for many years the
restoration of both from their ruins was contemplated.
At length the Most Reverend Doctor Antonius De Pozzi,
lie regular canons of St. Augustine, haying been
loned by the holy virgins with most humble prayer,
came forward as patron with generous bounty and caused
a drarafa to be built with a tower, and, indeed, the greater
part of the convent to be restored, at his own expense,
that a very heavy one, in the year 1636. The rest of
the expense of completely finishing the new convent
was met partly by a contribution of the nuns
themselves. In the following war. on the l\ a>t of St
<olas the Bishop, the church was dedicated with the
solemn rites of the < m sacred commemoration of
Assumption of the Virgin in Heaven. The sacred
consecration was performed by the Most
Reverend Lord Marcus of Altringen. Bishop of Scccoviutn,
who on the same day also consecrated three altars i
dedicating the highest to the Most Glorious Virgin, the
second, on the Gospel side, to the seraphic St. Francis,
istle aide, to the blessed virgin Clare.
The patronal festival is celebrated on the Feast of the
Assumption of the Virgin and the Heavenly Marriage,
but on the third dsy of Easter.
< hurch is not very large, but very beautiful, resting upon
very solid foundations. In the middle of it, in front of
r part of the sanctuary, a hanging cross is dis-
played, fashioned with carved work; and it contains
various decorated caskets, besides a fragment of the sacred
Cross of Christ, and many other relics covered by glass :
in the presence of which holy Cross (believed to have
always been in the treasury) every faithful soul saying
five Paters and Aves received an indulgence of forty years.
A large altar, erected in the year 1727 by the wealth of
various benefactors, is a singular ornament of the church.
ises on high, built of hardest stone wholly
covered with a white facing, containing five remarkable
156 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
bells, with the names : St. Laurence the Martyr, St.
Justina, virgin, St. Joseph the spouse of the Blessed
Virgin, St. Clare, and St. Anthony of Padua.
As regards the fabric of the convent, it is in the form
of a perfect square, distinguished by its double storey and
dormitory. In it are found more than fifty sisters' cells,
with ample well-arranged workshops, an infirmary and
dispensary, and a sacristy. There is a pleasure-ground,
by no means spacious, but sufficiently convenient and
agreeable for the comfort of the pious inmates. As a
singular glory is added to the church from the sacred
relics deposited there in the holy image of the Crucified
Christ, so no less the cloister has its own glories within
its walls ; for besides lesser holy relics it preserves the
whole head of St. Triphonia, virgin and martyr, also
part of the arm of St. Anna, the mother of the Blessed
Virgin, also an arm of the companion saint Mauritius
the Martyr, and an arm of the companions of St. Ursula,
virgin and martyr. There are also to be seen seven
altars, a holy ladder enriched with holy relics, and a most
devoutly constructed Via Crucis — true places of piety and
encouragement towards the increase of virtue ; and the
papal bounty grants all those indulgences which the
Seven Churches and the Holy of Holies of the city of
Rome, or the land of Jerusalem watered with the most
precious blood of the Redeemer, dispense in abundance.
Moreover, there is preserved in a certain chapel the image
of the gentle Virgin, the Mother of God, formerly, before
the unhappy times of Luther, exposed to public venera-
tion, and most solemnly honoured also with crowded
processions.
In this convent of nuns, far from all worldly disturb-
ances, there now live thirty virgins dedicated to God,
who, hating the vanities of the world, after the manner
of busy bees in their most religious hive, gather un-
weariedly the honey of all piety and virtue, and in the
ardent passion of love sing praises with sweetest psalmody
SOME AUSTRIAN KOI'M) ATIOOT 157
Spouse Jesus Christ, rendering to Him day and
hearts, their works, their vows.
mediately adjoining this ascetic home of nuns is the
residence of the brothers, where five of them always
rema superior, who hears the special confessions
of Ik ti second, who hears the ordinary oonfes-
rth, the priest who serves the altar; the
lay sacristan, the watchful guardian of the sacred
teasels.
•• greater seal, which is that of the abbess, displays
in the centre an image of the Blessed Virgin standing,
pound the edge is inscribed : "8ig. Abbatiss, Monast.
■ .p de Asais. in Judenberg. 1245 " Another
seal of the convent which represents the
Mother, crowned, sitting between the rays of the God-
head, holding in her right hand the Holy Child, in her left
the sceptre, has no inscription round the circumference
t of Nuns, dedicated to St. Nicholas, at
Vienna in Austria.
m present ascetic home of the nuns of St. Clare, as
we have already intimated in our account of the begin-
convent, dedicated to St. Jerome, had been
inhabited by brothers after the home of St. Rupert had
been abandoned, from 1545-1589. Then for eighteen
years, by or he magistrate of Vienna, this place
was turned into an orphanage for girls bereaved of their
parents and in need of a respectable upbringing. These
having been transferred to the imperial hospital belonging
to the monastery of the reverend conventual fathers, by
the order of the Emperor Ferdinand II, the nuns of
Posonium id Hungary, of the Order of St. Clare, came
into tlda building in place of them. For Anna Eleonora,
the most pious Empress, born Princess of Mantua, etc.,
viewed with eouonii the misfortunes of her nuns of
158 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Po8onium, which arose especially from the continual
violence of the people of Hungary, who were in revolt
against their King. They had been expelled already three
times from their own religious house, and on account of
the prevalent heresies of Luther and Calvin, had taken
flight, not without serious risk of their lives and souls.
Moved with motherly compassion for them, she very
easily persuaded the most august Emperor that the sisters
who had been oppressed with such great hardships and
afflicted with so many terrors, and who had been starving
in the imperial hospital at Vienna for a period now
approaching three years, should be given some settled
establishment such as they desired. The most illustrious
Lord Adolphus, founder of the Christian Order of Soldiery,
and Elizabeth, born at Stozingen, his Consort, resolved to
found a monastery for thirty-three sisters — that being the
number of exiles from Posonium — and to this end to hand
over to them the court-house with the chapel of St. Anne
(it is now the house of probation of the reverend fathers
of the Society of Jesus). But the most august lady,
inasmuch as she thought it more suitable, on account of
the proximity of our brothers living just opposite at St.
Jerome's, and of the greater facilities for supplying
spiritual services thereby, chose the church of St.
Nicholas, and the buildings attached, for the abode of the
nuns, with the consent of the most gracious Emperor.
Accordingly, on the 3rd of October, 1623, the Clare sisters,
who had professed Urban IV's rule of stricter enclosure,
to the number of fifteen (the rest having returned to
Posonium) , were inducted by the Reverend Father Jeromy
Strasser, at that time our Commissary-General for Ger-
many, into this establishment of St. Nicholas, which had
been most generously founded by the Empress in honour
of the Sacred Five Wounds of Christ, the sisters being
deeply sensible of her most tender affection for them as
their pious mother and protectress. When, by the com-
mand of the Emperor Ferdinand II, on the 24th of
SOME AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS 159
nary. 1624, the said sisters bad been placed under
•are of the fathers of the province of Austria,
the Venerable Mother Maria Magdalena Englin of Austria
acted as first superior of the establishment, and later on
aa abbess. 80 much did she benefit this convent, by her
. and virtue and the grace of his rule, that she con-
•d to preside over the sisters with the greatest credit
wenty years, being seven times re-elected abbess at
ustomai iial elections. She brought her life
and her duties to a period on the 20th of August, 1648.
ice the convent was now almost in ruins, and waa
tied in great part only by beams— nor would the war-
times of the rebellions of the Hungarians perm
complete restoration— temporary support waa given aa far
as possible to the most ruined parte. Workers began to
restore portions here and there, and even the sisters them-
■ were by no means unready to carry stones, sand,
tiles, etc., with their own hands, and to assist the work-
men. In the year 1662 certain metalliferous mines in
Hungary, belonging to the sisters themselves, became
workable again, by the singular blessings of Heaven, and
lied at length more abundant means for somewhat
repairing the convent and for entirely building the church .
and the sacristy and choir both of that building and of the
convent. When the fabric of the church had been com-
pleted, on the 9th of November, 1686, the Most Reverend
e of the Holy Roman Empire and Bishop of Vienna,
Lord I'lnlip Fnderk of the county of Brenner, dedicated
it with tiie customary rites in honour of St. Nicholas,
•politan Bishop of Myrensia and Lycia. The anni-
versary is celebrated on the Sunday after the octave of
All Saints.
At the same sacred function he blessed three bells, hung
in a tower with a copper roof; the largest dedicated to
the holy patron of the church, the second to 8t. Clare the
Virgin, the third to the Redeemer.
This church of St. Nicholas, which is divided in the
160 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
midst with iron screens, is notable rather for its suitability
for worship than for its size, and is adorned with five
altars : the first and largest sacred to the patron of the
establishment, the second to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
tin third to the seraphic St. Francis, the fourth also to
the Blessed Virgin, the fifth to St. Joseph. Each was
consecrated by the Most Beverend Prince of the Holy
Roman Empire and Archbishop of Vienna in the year
1716. Besides the epitaphs of illustrious families engraved
in marble, there is also a large statue of St. John
Nepomucen, richly cast of purest silver, placed in the
church in fulfilment of a vow by the noble Lord of
Guarient, after receiving a favour from God through the
patronage of this saint.
This convent of ascetic virgins, which had been
threatened from time to time with great ruin, and had
been in want of the most pressing necessities, began at
length partially and, on account of the poverty of the
nuns, at various times to be repaired, restored and in
many new parts strengthened. Indeed, in the year 1668
the foundations were laid, and the sisters' infirmary built,
at their own cost ; in 1679 the refectory and the cloisters
attached were erected by the bounty of the most august
Emperor Leopold I ; and in the year 1690 the novices'
house, with the part adjoining, was built with money
raised elsewhere; whilst in the year 1706, by means of
legacies left by a mother and a brother to the sisters
Maria Josepha (born Countess of Gavrian) and Anna
Rosalie (Countess of Losenstein), the remaining structure
of the convent was completely reclaimed from ruin, and
rather rebuilt than repaired. The whole fabric of the
convent thus assumed greater strength and better propor-
tions— save that the dormitory of the nuns remained on
the inside in a poor and disgraceful state, since the cells
of the sisters, which were only separated by beams, had
bden provided with neither doors nor fireplaces. Where-
fore, in order that the nuns should not sleep any longer
SOME AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS 161
in the heated refectory (as was formerly necessary at the
more inclement period of winter), in 1716 Lord John
David of Palm, the dearly loved father of two of
sisters of this convent, caused new and stronger founda-
tions to be laid, the dormitory to be divided into forty
arranged and bested compartments, and the sound
parts of the fabric, etc. , to be restored at very great cost.
He was, therefore, deservedly numbered with the first
founders of this convent, and after his pious death was
(1 in the crypt of the church before the high altar.
Finally the abbey, which was already giving way and
almost falling down, together with the imperial building
(habitat io ccuarea) and the workshops annexed to it,
1 a benefactor in Lord Gregory William of Kirchenen ,
who, at the bumble suit of his mother, Josephs of Palm,
the superior of the modern convent, caused it to be
rely rebuilt io 1781 ut his own expense, and obtained
a grant of a hundred orgyas of timber, to be received
annually in aid of the needy convent from
the most beneficent bounty of the Emp*
The monastery thus reclaimed from dust, squalor and
nan, and now more fully furnished for the poor sisters,
is situated just opposite our brethren of the monastery,
only the Singerian Street coming between ; while a secular
building is attached to it behind and on the sides. The
quadrangular-ahaped convent encloses s small garden, on
either side of which is s hermitage skilfully composed of
undressed stone. It now contains thirty-nine inmates,
igh it would hold more. These are maintained prin-
cipally by the annual rate, but partly also by the alms of
the pious. The small space wherein the religious inmatrs
are enclosed is distinguished by many remarkable pjtpftt
of devotion within it—seven altars, a holy ladder, a Via
to which, by the grace of the pontiffs, very
y indulgences are attached. Among the relics of the
saints which are here cherished with especial devotion
are the remains, or rather the whole body, of St. Papb-
162 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
nutius, martyr, brought home by the aforesaid Lord
Bishop of Vienna on his return to Vienna from Rome,
and given to this monastery in the year 1646 ; a fragment
of the Holy Cross of Christ ; some of the hairs ; also part
of the Crown of Thorns ; part of the finger of St. Mary
Magdalene ; some of the bones of the holy Apostles Peter
and Paul ; a tooth of St. Nicholas, patron of this place ;
and lastly, a MS. written by St. Antony of Padua with
his own hand.
The abbess's seal bears in the middle the monstrance
of the Sacred Host, placed above a closed book whereon
rest three golden globes ; on its side is seen the number
1686 ; round the edge is inscribed : S. Convert. A. Clariss.
D. S. Nicolas (Abbess of the Sacred Convent of Clares
dedicated to St. Nicholas).
Convent of Holy Nuns at Vienna in Austria, dedicated to
the Queen of Angels.
The royal monastery of St. Mary of the Angels, of the
Order of St. Clare, is close to the imperial palace, into
which there is a carved entrance ; in front is the mag-
nificent church of St. Dorothea, virgin mother, of the
Order of the regular canons of St. Augustine, over-
looking on the right the royal church of the barefooted
Augustinian fathers, and on the left, across the street, the
palaces of the nobles. It was founded at great expense in
the year 1581 , and most generously established by Elizabeth
of Austria, the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian II,
sister of the Emperors Matthias and Rudolph, and widow
of Charles IX, King of France. And hence, since it was
built by a Queen for the Queen of Angels, it is commonly
called the Convent of Queens. To begin with, the pi hue
of Charles Antony, brother of the Archduke Maximilian
II, was purchased, and seven nuns were summoned from
a monastery in Bavaria and the aforesaid monastery of
Anger by the said royal foundress to take possession of it.
Ml VUSTRIAX FOUNDATIONS 168
In the year 1582, on the 5th of March, in a ganl
y by the most illustrious Countess of Kuemn. th.
>n -stone was laid by the most exalted Prince
d Casper Xeubock, Bishop of Vienna; and so, in the
presence of the moat serene Queen and before the eyes of
all the royal household, the first foundations of the ch
were laid. The same bishop, in the following yeai
the 2nd of August, consecrated it in honour of St. Mary ,
Queen of Angels (the same dedication as the Seraphic
■ td in the chapel of that name). It was
beaut if ii ied with the indulgences of Pope Sextos V.
The same day of consecration is observed annually. The
h possesses, besides the high altar dedicated to the
Holy Angels and their most august Queen, two aide altars
—on the Epistle aide that of St. Anna, the grandmother
of ( u the right that of the Holy Cross.
tor the lapse of only a few years the virgins serving
lare bad increased so greatly
in unban through the seal of monastic discipline
fifty <>f them, of most exalted family, were
maintained in this royal convent, experiencing blessings
on high and the most generous benefactions of
evor-muninosoi foundress. This royal convent is to
a degree exempt, by the privileges granted by the
popes air ;i all other jurisdiction that
immediately subject only to the most reverend father the
in mister-general, who maintains the direction of the
whole seraphic Order, and to the most eminent lord
uial, the protector of the Order; nor is it under any
secular power save that of the most august Roman
emperors. These great immunities were sought with
earnest entreaties by the foundress herself, Elizabeth— as
well from Pope Clem, m VI 11 as from the Emperor
ij h II -who by her last wish besought with most
effectual entreaties that henceforth the emperors would
const roted it as the supreme founders, and would
commit it to the supreme protection, and finally would
M 2
164 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
safeguard all the rights and immunities of this convent of
virgins consecrated to God, which had been built with such
great care, and had always been loved by her with such
tender affection. The commissary -general , who is con-
firmed by the free votes of the nuns, and therefore by the
authority of the Emperor, is chosen from the fathers of
our province, takes the place during his lifetime of the
minister-general himself, and, together with the nuns'
confessor and another priest and a layman, lives in a resi-
dence adjoining the cloister. The said fathers, together
with a preacher and another who sings the sacred rites at
the altar daily, are sent from the convent of St. Jerome.
In this royal cloister, which has been very rich ever
since its foundation, there is also a rich treasury, most
sumptuously stored with sacred vessels, church furnish-
ings and vestments designed for the use of the priests and
servers, and absolutely abounding with wonderful tapestry,
jewels, pearls and precious stones. Besides this sacred
furniture, some more sacred things — nay, the most sacred
of all — are kept here : the Blood truly shed from the most
sacred Side of Christ, obtained for the monastery by the
royal bounty of Eleonora, widow of the Emperor Ferdi-
nand III, in the year 1668, and by a faculty of the most
high Prince Philip Frederick, Bishop of Vienna, exposed
for public worship annually on the 6th day of March ;
also a noteworthy fragment of the Holy Cross, which the
royal foundress received as a gift from her most august
father, and added to this treasury. Herein are preserved
also the entire forefinger of St. John the Baptist, brought
with her from France by the same Queen; the head of
St. Christina, virgin and martyr, with the illustrious bones
of St. Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew II, King of Hun-
gary ; also the head of St. Gertrude, widow of Ludovic,
Count of Thuringiaj the shoulder-blade of St. Leopold,
Marquis of Austria. In addition to these there is the
embalmed body of St. Parthenius, martyr, bestowed by
the august Emperor Leopold I in the year 1666 upon
S0M1 AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS 165
Maria of Bibiat, the Countess of Breuner, then re<
elected abbess ; also the entire body of St. Antoninus the
Martyr.
preserved near a graceful of the
little Jesus sleeping, an image of the Mother of God.
called the Amirable, famous for its miracles; it fa
ul chapel of heavenly design, constructed
ry great expense at the charge of the most excel hut
Lady Mary Magdalene, Countess of Mansfeld, supreme
guar- the Archduke; this is exposed in the chun h
he public veneration of the faithful, who come in
very great numbers daily on the nine days preceding the
Feast of Pentecost. Modelled after the likeness of St.
Mary the Elder, painted by St. Luke himself and sanc-
tified by his touch, it was also brought from France to
Vienna by Elizabeth in 1578 ; then, in the year 1802, was
trarihf.rrvd from th.- ch.nnlt. r of th.- <1. fimct (v>u< . n to th.
monastery, as whilst alive she had suggested to our Father
Peter Look, her spiritual director. Instructions were
by the wish of the dying Empress to the nuns, that
they should always bestow singular veneration upon this
image, and that they might be quite sure that in whatever
need they were (as she herself had found more than once)
they would experience prompt assistance, upon invoking
this most Ho ind even so to this day not only
very many faithful Christians, but also the most august
house of Austria, make trial of the moat merciful Mother
in. Moreover, this image is so life-like and so lovely
that it surpasses all the art of painters. When sny
belonging to the august bouse departs this life, or any
untoward accident happens to him, it is said to grow
sud(i( nlv pale first, with an altered appearance and with
a m< of the eyes.
On the seal of the Venerable Mother Abbess lbs
Immaculate Blessed Virgin is depicted, raised aloft
the clouds with angels flying round, two of whom are
placing a crown upon her. Bound the image is the follow .
166 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
ing inscription : Sig. Abbat. Monast. S. Marice de Angelis
Vienna. The lesser seal belonging to the convent has in
the midst of it the Holy Virgin Clare holding a pastoral
staff in her left hand and the Blessed Sacrament in her
right, surrounded by the inscription : S. Marice de Angelis
Viennce ad Reginam.
The Convent of Holy Nuns of Grecium in Styria ,
dedicated to All Saints.
This monastery and temple, dedicated in honour of All
Saints, by its original foundation is older than the
cloister of holy nuns of Vienna and St. Nicholas ; but we
are nevertheless putting it in the second place, because,
after having been originally placed under the fathers of
the Argentine province, it came to be placed under our
Austrian province, as regards its first head, in the year
1687, as we shall relate presently. The place where now
the convent of the divine Clare, virgin, is to be seen was
formerly called " in stifft " (in thorn) , and with good
reason, for while the seed-plot of heresies and errors was
so near at hand, it deserved to be nicknamed the " thorn -
hedge." During the absence in Spain of Charles, the
Archduke of Austria, the heterodox leaders of Styria —
open sectaries of Luther — in the year 1568 erected here,
from the common funds of the province, an academy,
which they enlarged and formed into a college, so that.
besides false preachers, there was also a numerous crowd
of professors maintained there, to instil the poison into
the mind of youth along with their letters, and to educate
successors to fill their chairs after them. But after the
Archduke Ferdinand, then the second Emperor of that
name — the most zealous defender of the Roman faith, and
the Hercules sent from God against the hydra of heresy
— had commanded, in the year 1599 most strictly, upon
pain of death, that they should one and all utterly depart
on the 18th day of September, before sunset, from the
SOMK AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS 167
of Grecium.1 all the ministers, to the numbt
••en, fled this place and city, and it was purged of the
dregs of heretics. After the sectaries of Luther had
ily been driven out, about 10,000 volumes, infected
with the mange of the heretics, were publicly burnt In
r that henceforth all the heretics' hope of recov.
former establishment should be precluded, the
bar of the said Ferdinand, the consort of the Archduke
Charles and the daughter of the Duke of Bavaria, Maria
by name — a moat zealous defender of our Catholic faith
— resolved to devote the empty building to "religion."
Wherefore she willed that the profane buildings should
partly be destroyed and n built, and partly restored and
reduced to much better form, and, together with the
irch, which she furnished with altars, should
be duly consecrated under the patronage of AH Saints.
Accordingly, that this edifice should not remain longer
out religious inmates who should sing God's praises
and constantly care for divine things, a colony of
virgins of the Order of St. Clare waa summoned from the
nt of St. Jacob at Munich— at that time in the
Argentine-Bavarian province— to Grecium, and, with
>f the prince of the country and the approval
: • \ III. in the year 1602, on the 11th day
ovember, virgins to the number of eight were intro-
duced into the newly built convent. In the following
year, on the 1st of July, in order that everything should
nii< on a firm footing in the service of God, the said
An lnluehess and Duchess of Bavaria endowed this con-
vent of virgins, enriched it with gifts, and founded it « ith
the greatest liberality by means of a solemn deed. Thus
establishment waa transformed, by the bounty of its
most pious foundress, from the thorn-hedge of non-
Catholics to a bed of virgin lilies. With such happy
auspices did the Lord bless it that this company of
maidens, before five years had elapsed, had wonderfully
1 Modern Grata.
168 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
multiplied, and numbered more than forty virgins veiled
unto God. It will be possible to judge of the intense
regard of the pious Princess towards the establishment of
St. Clare and its adherents from the fact that, as far as
the care of her most serene children and the provinces
under her rule permitted, she spent most of her time in
this convent of virgins after the death of her husband ; and
sometimes, by working hard in the kitchen, washing up
the dishes and pots, laying the tables, serving up the food,
sometimes by making the beds, laying the sick nuns on
the couch, administering the medicines, washing their
sores, etc., acted not so much as foundress, but rather as
a humble handmaid for the love of God. Moreover, she
adorned the church and its altars with sacred furniture,
gold and silver vessels, and costly vestments woven with
her own hands ; and from her household treasury she
dispensed to it with the most liberal devotion distin-
guished relics of the saints. And when she had abdicated
the government of the provinces, in order that she might
prove herself not only the mother of the daughters of St.
Clare, but also the daughter and poor sister of the holy
mother; with the approval of the Apostolic Nuncio and
in the presence of the confessor of the holy nuns, she took
religious vows under the simple name of Sister Mary ; and
being most ardently united to God, she wore the vestments
of divine Clare which she had secretly made for herself;
and she fell asleep with a most happy end, very full of
merits and virtues, on the 29th day of April in the year
1608. Her most noble remains, enclosed in a very large
marble sarcophagus, together with the hearts of her most
beloved son, Ferdinand II, and his august consort, Anna
Eleonora, and also of Ferdinand III, Emperors, are pre-
served and can still be seen in the enclosure of the nuns.
The church adjoining this convent, as we have recorded
already, was brought by its most serene foundress to a
much more handsome appearance, and was solemnly
consecrated to All Saints on the 25th day of November,
SOME AUSTRIAN FOUNDATIONS 169
o Most Reverend Lord Martin, Bish< ;
Secooviuiii The least of ito dedication is now observed
annual ! y on the Sunday following the festival of St.
Bartholomew the Apotstle. There are five altars in it :
the el cted most recently with beautiful workman-
. and dedicated to All Saints ; the second to the Most
to the Blessed Virgin Mary ; the
r holy Father Francis, with privileges; the
last to St. Clare, virgin, the foundress of the Order.
The monastery, celebrated for the solidity and massive-
ness of its struct' its position and for the salul
of the air, lies facing the pleasant river Mur; and in
addition to the bed-chamber of the most pious foundress,
still containing her own old furniture, possesses numerous
workshops to meet necessary requirements ; a fine dispen-
sary, a pleasant garden, and adjacent buildings which are
it to secular folk at an annual rental. Two spacious
ies, one for winter and the other for summer,
afford quite sufficient lodging for fifty sisters (although at
present there are only forty -six). Besides s holy " wsy of
the Cross" and many places of devotion, there are to be
seen in the sacristy of the convent many large and
precious objects composed of gold, silver and jewels. No
glory is added to all these by a noble genealogical
tree of those who have more strictly embraced the rule of
St. Clare in this cloister. For besides the most serene
dress herself— the Archduchess Maria, another
Duchess— Maria Benata, the daughter of Ferdinand,
Duke of Bavaria, and very many countesses and free
baronesses of most noble family who had professed t ti-
er reformation of the Colettines observed most
iy tlx rigorous rule of the Order to their lives' end.
It is true that the abbess and nuns, together with the
monastery, were placed at first under the ruling and
jurisdiction of the Brothers Minor of the regular life of
the province of Argentine-Bavaria, principally because the
holy virgins who had been called from that province asked
170 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
their foundress herself, with the most pressing entreaties,
that they might have these fathers (to whose direction
they had already been accustomed in their own land) for
their spiritual consolation and the fuller quieting of their
conscience ; and at that time our brothers — as they were
reckoned — although they were living nearer to their con-
vent (for only one street separates that and ours), were
able to do very little, on account of the Lutheran heresy
which was then flourishing throughout Austria and Styria,
and the small number of qualified subjects (brothers in
holy orders), since at that disastrous period it was not
possible to acquire new convents ; nay, rather, as we have
noted in its place, it became necessary to abandon those
which we had formerly possessed. Nevertheless, when
the shades of error had been expelled and the pristine
brightness of the Catholic faith began to shine, and when
the number of capable religious was increasing, this con-
vent of holy nuns with its inmates was placed under the
control of the Austrian province ; this was done by the
authority of Pope Innocent XI and with the consent of
the Emperor Leopold I, a.d. 1687, and was a safeguard
from many inconveniences. In this establishment of holy
nuns five of our brothers perform all the spiritual func-
tions of the confessional , the pulpit and the altar, both
to the satisfaction of the virgins veiled unto God and to
the edification of the many lay-folk who use this church.
The religious head of this house was a special seal con-
taining in the middle the head of the supreme Pontiff,
surrounded on either side by figures of cardinals. The
seal of the convent shows St. Clare standing.
< EAFTSB \ in
8T. COLBTTB ASD HEB REFORMS
About four leagues from Amiens is the Utile town
of Corbie, and here, in the year 1881, was born Nicolette
Boellet, whose name from infancy was abbreviated to
n< Her father was foreman carpenter to a large
me abbey in the town, and her mother is reported
to hsve been sixty years of age at the time of the I
of this her only child. Both parents were devout, and
infancy Colette grew up in sn atmosphere of lore
and payer. At seven years of age, we are told, she made
laily meditation for an hour, and at eleven she used
i*e at midnight to go with others to Matins at the
monastery. Her father and mother died whilst Colette
was quite young, and left ber to the charge of the abbot
of the monastery. The abbot set about finding her a
husband ; but meanwhile Colette slipped away to Amiens,
where a celebrated priest, Father Bessadan, was visiting,
in order to seek his aid and advice. She opened all ber
heart, and told her desires ; he declared she was called to
the religious life, but that she must pray to God for light
as to which Order she should enter. He allowed
there and then to take the vow of chastity, and Colette,
full of peace, returned to Corbie and told the abbot. " You
have taken the Lord Jesus for your spouse!" said Hm
holy man, and he sought no more for a suitable husband
for the girl.
Colette tried life with the Beguines, the Benedictines
ana the Urbanist Clares of Port St. Maxence, but felt no
vocation. She had a great devotion to both St. Francis
and St. Clare, and was much hurt at what she thought
171
172 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the lax rule at Port St. Maxence. About this time Pere
Pinet, a Franciscan, who was passing through Corbie,
admitted her to the Third Order, and suggested to her
the life of a recluse, or hermit.
With the consent of her guardian, the abbot, she sold
all her goods and gave them to the poor, and was formally
enclosed in a little house adjoining the church of St.
Etienne, one of the rooms of which had an aperture into
the church, so that Colette could hear Mass and com-
municate. The life of a recluse, or anchoret, was not
unusual in mediaeval times, and full details of it are given
in the Ancren Riwle, published in the King's Classics.
Mother Juliana of Norwich, who wrote the Revelations
of Divine Love, is the most noted English ancress. As
was usual, two pious women had charge of Colette, and
took her her food and guarded her grille from too
frequent visitors. Colette's two rooms were probably
upstairs, and the "out sisters " dwelt on the ground floor.
The life was one of fasting and prayer as well as of seclu-
sion ; and it is recorded that Colette also had charge of
the church linen.
After three years of seclusion Colette began to be
troubled about her vocation ; she had visions which she
believed called her to the work of a reformer. In the
midst of her troubles Pere Henri de la Baume, a noted
Franciscan , came to visit her ; and at once both knew
that they were called to the same work. In 1406 the
Bishop of Amiens dispensed Colette from her vow of
enclosure, and Pere Henri, his friend the Baroness de
Brissay, and St. Colette left Corbie to go and visit the
Pope and secure the necessary powers for working the
reforms they desired to make. It is now for the first
time we find it possible to get a mental vision of Colette.
Warned by Delehaye as to the similarity of all the stories
that arise about the infancy of saints, we have passed
quickly over the early years of Colette ; but now we have
come to the time of briefs and bulls and other documents,
I KTTK.
ST. COLETTI WD BEH HKFORMS 178
and can speak with certitude. It is no longer of an un-
rh ancress abut up in a corner of a little town, but
of a woman who travels wide, and everywhere visits the
authorities, that we have to
Colette waa tall and beautiful, and her cheeks were
absolutely colourless— ahe was ever pale. She walked
swiftly but surely on her bare feet, so that others had
difficulty in keeping up with her : her dress waa poor, her
eyes were in strict custody.
the time of the schism, and Benedict VIII, the
Pope of the French obedience, was at Nice. In Sep-
1406 Colette knelt at his feet and asked to be
admitted to the Second Order of St. Francis, and to
labour for the reform of the First and Second Orders :
the rule of the brothers and the rale of the sisters
are one, being the rale of the Gospel
« Pope and the cardinals were a little astonished,
they gave way before manifest signs of the will of
Ood, and the Pope received Colette into the 8eoond Order ;
spensed her from a noviciate, and named her Abbess-
General and Reformatrice of the three Seraphic Orders,
particularly the Clareseea; with full power to found new
monasteries, and to choose confessors for the monasteries
found, d rood. The visitor-general of the reform
was to be Pere Henri de la Baume.
is obvious there must have been something very
mg about Colette for such powers to be granted to an
unknown woman who waa only twenty-five years of age.
It is said ahe was so far from earth during this strange
profession of hers, that she did not take in what the Holy
Father waa saying, and that when she was afterwards
addressed as M abbess," she protested and wept. But the
Bull was given — the date is the 17th of the Kalends of
November, otherwise the 16th of October. There is no
ig away from that fact.
But having satisfied our minds with dates and docu-
ments, let us refresh our hearts with a piece of tradition.
174 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
After the ceremony the Pope turned to Father Henry
and kissed his shoulder, saying : " Blessed shoulder that
shall carry the bread for one so wondrous. Would that
I were worthy to beg her food ! " The " questing "
brothers and sisters of St. Francis generally carry
long bolster-like bags, which they throw over one
shoulder.
They were wonderful women, these saints! St. Clare,
running away through the night to the Portiuncula at
the age of eighteen ; St. Catherine of Siena bearding the
Pope at Avignon , and ordering kings and cardinals about ;
St. Colette at twenty-five being in one day received into
an Order and named abbess-general ; St. Teresa from
her cell writing books that have been the comfort and
help of every devout Catholic soul in every country ever
since ! And yet we are ever being told by Protestants
that nuns are useless craven creatures, mere cumberers
of the ground : their only thought the salvation of their
own souls !
Ah, well! St. Colette, with her swift white feet and
her still white face, was out to save others ! And she
had need of all her courage to carry through the huge
task she had been called upon to undertake. At Corbie,
her native town, there was no longer honour and a home
for her ; the Benedictines closed their doors to her ; the
children jeered at her and called her witch ; her former
friends deserted her. Colette turned and went, and with
her went only those two who knew her best and had
shielded her hermitage — Marie Senechal and Guillemette
Chretien. It was the old story — a prophet is without
honour in his own country. It was a useful test of
Colette's powers of perseverance. Pere Henri now
guided the saint and her companions to the house of his
brother, M. Allard, of Baume in Savoy. M. Allard gladly
put part of his house at the disposal of the party, and his
kindness was at once rewarded by a grace obtained by
Colette. His wife was dangerously ill in child-birth ;
ST. COLETTK AND HER REFORMS 175
the prayi te were asked; ahe prayed, and the
child was born and the mother lived. We shall oome
across this dear babe later under the name of Sister
Also the second daughter of A Hard de Baume,
Matilda, at once desired to join Colette, and in a corner
of the great building a small noviciate was started, uith
te as abbess and novice mistress and choir sister
all in one! Other young girls came to join very soon,
ami then Pere Henri applied to his old friend Blanche,
Geneva, and she gave the little com in i
he town. Here the recitation of the Di
Office on the two notes — s fall on the finals — which is still
ive of the Colettines, was first commenced.
that it has been impossible to discover the
exact situation of this, the cradle of the reform. The
first place we can trace the Colettines with certainty is
at Bksanton, where on the 14th of March, 1410, Colette
took over the charge of a decayed convent of Urban is t
Clares, in which only two sisters were left. Before
Colette entered the convent she insisted on its endow-
ts being diverted, as her love of poverty was as great
as that of St. Clare herself. The archbishop of the
se bad arranged this, and he himself received the
saint and her community, and formally enclosed them in
r l.i
St. Vincent Ferrar was at Besanoon about this time,
and the sympathy between the Franciscan and Dominican
orders was again exemplified by his seeking out St. Colette
and consulting her with regard to both spiritual and
worldly tilings. Both saints were saddened by the schism
in the Church and the anomaly of two Popes, and together
they wrote a letter to the Council of Constance on peace
in the Church. Also St. Colette showed St. Vincent a
rniraculoQS cross that had been given her from on high,
and cent presented to her his mission cross that
he had brought from Spain and used in preaching through
nee. Colette, coming out of an ecstasy, once told
176 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
St. Vincent that God would call him to Himself in less
than two years.
St. Vincent bowed his head. " In less than two years
I shall go back to die in Spain," he said.
"In France," corrected Colette.
And even so, St. Vincent died at Vannes on the 5th
of April, 1419.
At Besancon in the early days also took place one of
the most notified miracles of the saint. An infant died
at birth, unbaptized, and the parents were in great grief.
The father brought the body to the convent (for the
cures of Colette were already famous), and begged her
prayers. She wrapped the body in her veil and prayed,
and the child showed signs of life — upon which it was
immediately baptized and handed back to the happy
father. This child lived to grow up and join the Order
of Poor Clares ; at the time of her death she was Abbess
of Pont-a-Mousson, Colette's last foundation.
Besancon passed through troublous times later on. In
1510 it suffered severely from fire, and afterwards from
pestilence. Both these ills had been predicted by St.
Colette. But in the seventeenth century we find the
convent once more flourishing. The number of vocations
granted was great, and to the joy of Colette many came
from Corbie.
It soon became possible to make new foundations ; the
first was at Auxonne, where the Duke of Burgundy gave
her some land. She herself superintended the building
of this convent, which was to be her ideal. It was small
and humble, and the sisters' cells so narrow they could
scarcely turn round in them. Sister Perrine described
them later on as like hencoops ! Agnes de Vaux was the
first abbess.
Here for more than one hundred years the religious
lived out their lives of prayer and penance, till in 1522 the
Duke of Guise visited it and declared it too small and
insanitary for the forty sisters then there, and insisted on
ST. C0LETT1. WD SEE REFORMS 171
building a larger and more salubrious dormitory, m\
"near each bed there was a window."
r of Louis XIV, dated the 9th of Jum . 171 !
us an authentic picture of this convent later on :
community is composed of forty religious, choir
sisters and externes, and of four friars who serve the
church. . . The poor nuns fast all their lives, in illness
as well as in heal I
the time of the French Revolution this convent of
the Ave Maria at Auxonne was demolished in part, and
the religious ejected. Five of the nuns joined the Poor
Clares at Lyons ; one, who was subject to mental derange-
ment, remained at Auxonne with her friends, and went
daily to kiss the ruins of her old cell. The better part of
the convent having been turned into a hospital, this poor
old nun had the happiness of dying within the walla she
so loved, in the year 1809.
But Colette's stern eyea wen on the friars minor of
Dole, a few miles from Auxonne. She wanted them to
serve the convent of the Ave Maria, but there were tales
of their laxneas, and they had shown a certain surliness
with regard to her overtures. Taking with her Pere
ri, Colette went to visit them, addressed them in
chapter, waa visibly inspired, and the brothers were con-
quered and accepted her reforms. Pere Henri lived on
at Dole, and from there made foundations of strict friars at
art in 111- ; at De Chariez, 1490, and so on, so that
in 1458 these brothers of the Colettine reform occupied
eleven convents— one of which was the Ara Caeli at Borne.
The next foundation was at Pouony, again under the
patronage of the Duchess of Burgundy, and with Blanche
of Savoy to help instal the sisters. The same poor and
mean style of building was maintained. Colette herself
acted as abbess for the first seven years, and her own
cell was so small she could only just stand upright in it.
v still preserve at Poligny the wooden bowl from
which the saint took her food. Sister Perrine, the niece
178 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of Pere Henri, and one of Colette's first cures, appears in
the list of the first eight inmates here. She must have
been very young, and probably acted as secretary to
Colette, and was not yet under vows. It is interesting
to the hagiographer to notice that on three occasions at
the founding of a convent, Colette is said to have miracu-
lously discovered the necessary spring of water ; also the
following typical story is instructive : A young nun lay
at the point of death and had received the last sacra-
ments; she was remarkable for her fervent piety, and her
loss would have been serious to the new foundation.
Colette went up to the bed, and said : "My child, in the
name of Jesus Christ I command you to arise." The nun
instantly arose and followed the abbess to the choir and
took her part in the Office. Similar miracles can be seen
at Lourdes, and elsewhere, to this day.
The second abbess was Mere Claude Corcey.
The convent flourished so exceedingly that in 1481
another house had to be added. There was now room for
twenty nuns.
Blanche, Countess of Savoy, was buried at Poligny by
her own particular wish ; for she desired to lie near Colette,
and Colette had thought to die at Poligny. In the end it
so happens that the bones of both these two friends are
there to-day : those of Blanche of Savoy being found intact
in their sepulchre after the destruction of the convent at
the revolution, and those of St. Colette installed there
(in the new church built on the old ruins) only seventy-
two years ago.
The poor Duchess of Burgundy, with a view to expiat-
ing the deeds of her fierce husband (known as Jean-sans-
peur), gave Colette another house of prayer at Leurre,
and there in 1422 seven nuns and twelve postulants were
installed. The one house was too small, but two citizens
came forward and gave the two neighbouring houses, and
by 1429 a really fine monastery was in existence, with
I'K AND HER REFORMS LI 0
a house friars, and a bouse for the extern sisters
first abbess was Mother Marie
Senechal of Corbie, one of the saint's earliest follower! ;
second was Mother Agnes Vissemel
A chrome I. ol 1619 gives this charming picture of this
"Above all other virtues the nuns practise
rty and In times of war they have lived for
months on a little soup of herbs and some white cheese,
and been as content as though they had the most luxurious
meals. And as for charity, any religious passing by is
indicated water to wash the feet, and beau-
tiful ulnt. linen to dry them. Hence in the convents
of the d here is a common phrase, ' Charite de
inn i'uefly over the other foundations of St.
ilms 1422. Aigueperse 1428, Decile 1
Vevey 1425, Orbe 1428. Castres 1429. Lexignan 1431,
Le 1 2, Bexiers (reformed) 1433-1444. Hesdin
I berg 1444. Amiens 1445, Pont-a-Mousson
1447— in all eighteen. It waa a heroic bit of work, and
even though some of these have ceased to exist, literally
hundreds of others have sprung from them, and the work
of Colette goes on in all countries to-day.
t one single convent was founded without difficul-
ties, without tests of the saint's patience and persever-
ance. At Puys the people and the ecclesiastics were both
iod," said Colette, "He will preserve
me and what I have done I
historian, "God had less patience. It waa remarked that
those who injured her came to sudden deaths I "
re were always of the greatest and noblest ladies of
the land ready to take up this strict life of penance : a
daughter of the Duke of Burgundy joined Puys; the eldest
daughter of tin Count de la Marche joined Aigueperse,
the widowed Duchess of Valentinois joined Vevey. When
te wan on her way to Vevey she stayed with the
Dominican nuns at Geneva; they all came forward to
180 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
v.rli-ome her with the kiss of peace — only one hung back
with downcast head and lowered veil. Colette thought
this was shyness and swiftly advanced, when she saw to
her grief that the poor nun was a leper. The daughter
of St. Francis, filled with pity, flung her arms round the
afflicted nun, and gathering her to her breast bent over
and kissed her. The leper was instantly cured. The
Dominicans were full of admiration for Colette, and at
their request she stayed some days with them, and helped
them reform their rule.
It has been much debated of late whether the Blessed
Joan of Arc and St. Colette ever met, and is still un-
decided. We give the opinion of Father William,
O.S.F.C, on this subject —
" Franciscanism in the France of that day was entirely
on the French side, from Friar Richard and St. Colette
down to the humblest known Tertiary. It is a remarkable
fact that St. Colette, who travelled so much in her great
work of founding and reforming convents of the Second
Franciscan Order, never attempted to extend her mission
to that part of the country which was known to give its
sympathy or allegiance to the English side. Although
there is so far no definite proof that these two remarkable
women ever met, it is very probable that they did so. St.
Colette was certainly in Moulins when La Pucelle entered
it after her capture of La Charit^-sur-Loire, and we know
that the saint was then in frequent and intimate corre-
spondence with the mothers, wives and sisters of some of
the great captains who rode in Joan's train."
The religious were often famine-stricken during these
wars and sieges, but at that time none of the buildings
seem to have suffered. And as for the hunger — they were
used to that 1 And somehow their cruse was never
empty when the poor came to the door. Some one gave
Colette a little basket of eggs for the poor, and day after
day Colette went to the basket and took out eggs and gave
them away according to need, but yet the basket was never
ST. I OLETTE \\n HKH REFORMS tsl
empty ; in the same way was the flour multiplied in
/.ikrs bad been founded in 1J 10 in the lifetime of
St. Clare, but it was under the Urbanist rule. Also the
•nt was without the city walls and in constant danger
ktaok. It had become necessary to get a boose wit hin
the walls and to bring together the scattered nuns who
bad been dispersed during certain alarms. The King of
Naples begged Colette to see to it, and she visited Besiers
twict- and BBQBnd tin- MMSJBjy encloMin and f.-nn of
to make the reform persist.
must not be forgotten that besides all the practical
lations and the business connected with them,
Colette hsd to frame her celebrated constitutions, and
was in constant communication with the Minister-General
he Order and others on this subject. A first rough
draft was made at Besancon between 1410 and 1
another, more complete, at Auxonne ; a third at Poligny,
and the final one at Besancon in 1484. The originals were
in Latin, but the saint made, or had made, under her
direction, translations in French, which were sent to every
convent. This in itself was no light work, and called for
some power of mind ss well as for spiritual insight
1434 draft was sent by the hand of Pere Pierre de
Vaux to the Franciscan General, Guillaome de Casale,
who was presiding over the chapter held that year at
Thun. His reply, dated the 28th of September, is
at Poligny — the original is in Latin. He addresses
Colette as his "very devout daughter in Jesus Christ," and
says he has resolved not only to confirm, but also to
approve and promulgate the constitutions, and give them
the force of law. He adds a sort of postscript: I
strongly desire that the family of St. Francis be reformed
through your means, to the glory of God and for khc
salvation of souls." Then adds a second postscript :
"Make some reply."
The most fervent of the royal families who bowed to
182 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Colette were the Bourbons. Isabelle, the eldest daughter
of Jacques de Bourbon, King of Naples and Sicily, was
the first of the family to don the brown habit ; she was
followed later by her youngest sister, the Princess Marie.
Then Jacques de Bourbon, who had quarrelled with his
wife and fled from Naples, was converted by St. Colette
and became a fervid Tertiary, and when the death of his
wife in 1435 made it possible, he took the three vows.
His two daughters came from Vevey to Besancon to be
present at his profession, and his natural son, young
Claude d'Aix, also came. The youth was so moved by
the sight of the humility and happiness of his father,
that he also begged the brown robe, and went to Dole to
pass his noviciate. Directly after his profession he was
struck by mortal sickness and died a holy death. The
ex-king did not long survive his son ; and when his last
agony was near he begged to be carried into the Poor
Clares' chapel, and there he received the holy Viaticum
and the last anointing from the aged Pere Henri. His
last wish was that he might find his final resting-place
at the feet of St. Colette. This death was a great blow
to the saint : she was getting on in life now — fifty-seven
years of age — and those white feet must have been less
swift on their journeys after sinners, that white face
must have been lined by many a care and sorrow.
And the blows fell fast now ; in the next year came
the death of her greatest earthly friend, Pere Henri de
la Baume. For thirty-five years he had been her faithful
helper and support, and now in the seventy-third year
of his age, his time had come to lay aside this burden of
living. We have Colette's own letter to her daughters
at Vevey, telling of Pere Henri's death —
" My very dear and well-beloved sisters in God. As
humbly as I can, with my soul prostrate before our Lord,
I recommend myself to your prayers. I affectionately
supplicate you to live in virtue and perseverance, and the
ST. COLETTE AM) HEB KEEORMS 188
observance of our ml. I mast let you know news
baa brought me great sorrow and
nd not cause; for on Ash Wednesday,
Matins, our Rev. Father, Brother Henri, became
worse of his illness, so much so, that on the Thursday,
shortly before midnight, be was carried into our chapel,
and there in the presence of our fathers and brothers and
of me, he received very devoutly the Precious Body of
Jeans Christ; and immediately after the sacrament of
extreme unction. He then took leave of all the sisters
returned to his chamber, seeming to us rather better.
The Saturday and Sunday be was very weak ; and the
lay also, but he was able to spend the day in our
chapel in great devotion and in full cognizance of th<
presence of God. He joined in the reading of the Passion
recommendations of the departing soul ; snd at half-
paat six, whilst praying to our Lord, his beautiful and
bus soul passed gently and devoutly to Ood our
beneficent Creator. With all the power I have I recom-
1 his soul to your prayers, that having loved him
loyally when living, your love should now rather be
augmented than lessened, and that yon be all diligent
in prayer to Ood for him, for yon know he is worthy of
tending that I believe that he is better able
to pray for us, than we for him. Also I recommend his
'ful soul to the devout father confessors, snd to sll
my fathers and brothers ; and with all my poor intentions
I pray the Holy Spirit to conserve you in grace, and
tin ally convey you to the glories of paradise. Amen,
ritten at Besancon, the 26th of February, 1439.
"Sister Colette."
i was buried within the enclosure of the
chapter, because Colette feared his tomb might be the
resort of multitudes; for be had a great reputation for
« rowds might have disturbed the services
in the church.
184 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
The foundation at Heidelberg at the instigation of the
Duke of Bavaria in 1440 was not a success, though the
Duke's sister was first abbess. Probably the language
difficulty was too great to be overcome, and the distance
from the other reforms would make government difficult.
So after some months Colette withdrew her nuns, and
the building was given to the Friars Minor. They, in
their turn, vacated it after about sixty years.
Colette returned from Heidelberg via Lorraine at the
request of Rene" the Good, Duke of Anjou, the father
of that Margaret of Anjou who married our Henry VI
and had such a stormy life on these shores. Ren6 pos-
sessed the Marquisate of Pont-a-Mousson, and here he
desired a convent of Poor Clares. Colette agreed, and
plans were made ; Colette went on to Hesdin and sent
Brother Deschaux to direct the work, and the convent was
only ready for occupation some months after the saint's
death. It was here that the widowed Duchess Philippa
de Gueldres was professed later on, when she had left her
crown at Nancy, and handed the sceptre over to her eldest
son. She was professed in 1520, and Leo X sent her a
dispensation from some of the mortifications of the rule.
She returned the Brief ; she would never allow any
relaxation, and fought hard to everywhere maintain the
strictness of the rule, so that she is sometimes spoken of
as a second Colette. She died at the age of eighty-five,
after spending twenty-seven years in all the austerities
of the cloister.
At Hesdin the saint was working at her noviciate house,
and it was now the loss of bodily power was particularly
marked by Sister Perrine ; often when she was in a trance
Sister Perrine had to support her, or she would have fallen.
Colette's states of trance were often times of great
spiritual distress and pain ; she saw things evil as well as
things good ; she suffered much ; and the sorrows of the
M. C0L1 AND HER REFORMS 185
. bowed down her head. Sister Guillemette Chretien
was nominated first abbess at Hesdin in 14
Many years before the burghers of Ghent had sent an
i to Colette to come and make a foundation there,
she had answered that they must wait God's time.
But on the 6th of August, 1448, she entered the city with
her nuns, and the convent was opened under the name of
Bethlehem, and Sister Odelle, the daughter of the Duke
urgundy, was made abbess. There was already a
com >or Clares under the Urbaniat rule in Ghent,
led by the Sister Ermentrude, to whom Clare wrote.
They were prospering, and there was no question of
g them : it was easier for Colette to found her
own poor Bethlehem.
ten Colette left Ghent she went to Besancon to see
St. John Capietran, who was then General of the Reform.
He wrote her an authorization lor the work she was
engaged on, which is dated the 22nd of November, 1442.
These documents are interesting as showing that Colette
was submissive to her Order and to Holy Church.
We come lastly to the foundation of Amiens, made at
the request of Philip of Saveuse, and of which the first
abbess was Isabelle, the eldest daughter of Jacques de
Bourbon. Toe convent was dedicated to St. George and
1 lare ; its position was near the cathedral and opposite
the church of St. Sulspice. Colette stayed here some time
putting things in working order, and the little cell she
occupied used to be kept vacant later and used as an
oraton-, until the expulsion of the Clares.
On page 312 will be found a translation of the vesper
hymn of Colette, and the following passage from the
sixth lesson shows the Church's estimate of her spiritual
knowledge : " Being made illustrious by the power of
prophecy, and being divinely taught, she penetrated the
186 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
hidden mysteries of faith, so as to discourse of them in
the profoundest manner."
On the 6th of March, 1447, in her convent at Ghent,
Colette died, having covered her face with her veil and
composed her body. For three days Colette lay in state,
and it is calculated that 20,000 persons passed through
the church to look at her. Then she was buried in the
common graveyard in her habit, and without any mound
or stone to mark the spot. But the miracles for which
she was famed in life persisted in death. In nearly all
her convents she was seen either during the forty-eight
hours of unconsciousness that preceded her actual passing
or immediately after her death. At Castre she was seen
in her oratory with rays of light about her head ; at Orbe
heavenly voices sang : " Sister Colette is gone to our
Lord." We commend these visions to the members of
the Society for Psychical Research. It seems so strange
to us that water diviners, psychical researchers and science
healers should have their stories of wonders accepted, and
that the miracles of the Church should be shut out. It
is obvious that it is not always want of faith, but some-
times prejudice, that leads people astray.
The following letter of St. Colette is often read aloud
in the convents of her reform —
"Glory, honour and praise to the great Three in One.
Amen. My dearest Sisters : By the love of our merciful
Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His revered Bride, the Holy
Church, filled with a deep humility, I commend myself
to your prayers in life and in death ; that the account I
shall have to render to God on the last day, may be one
favourable to me. My beloved sisters ; the wisdom of our
Heavenly Father has called you from the vanities and
deceits of the world to a life of fervent devotion, and He
has chosen you to be the brides of His beloved Son,
children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, and heirs
ST. COLETTE AND HER REFORMS 187
and queens of the heavenly kingdom. By a abort and
easy labour ! 1 will attain hereafter rest, honour
and everlasting glory. Therefore, dear sisters, appreciate
ur vocation , and the high dignity and great per-
ou are called. Do not omit to meditate
constantly on the holy career on which you have entered,
the grace of God and by your holy vocation. For,
says me Saviour, no one can come to Me, unless
til Ud with the inspiration of My Heavenly Father.
happy entrance into a life of deep devotion consists
in at lation of the world, the flesh, and
will. Aa our Saviour teaches us : ' If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up
roes ' ; and adds further; ' Let him follow Me to the
" Remember, my dear daughters, that by the grace of
you are called to observe perfect obedience even unto
death. It will not be sufficient for you to do so for a
t Hi)--, or on some particular occasions. In order to prac-
tise this perfect obedience even to our last breath, by
always submitting our will entirely to that of our superiors,
let us fix our gaxe on the Saviour of the world; let us
contemplate Jesus Christ, the eternal wisdom, who has
been oh i us even to the death of the cross. The
truly obedient man has no other end but God, and accom-
•ics the will of his superiors as being that of Jeans
ist Himself. The more trifling the thing you are
desired to do appears in the eyes of men, the more
meritorious is your obedience before God. St. Bernard
teaches us that he who is truly obedient, ought, according
to the example of our Divine Saviour, to have a greater
dread of a single disobedience than of death itself. Rfl
says, ' Remember, my beloved brethren, that Jesus Christ
preferred sacrificing His life in the torments of Hi-
dolorous passion, to failing in obedience to the will of His
eternal Father.' Another saint also has said that a single
prayer of an obedient submissive man, is worth more than
188 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
a thousand prayers from one who is insubordinate and dis-
obedient. Let us then renounce our own will, for it is
truly the fuel of eternal fires. Above all things, I com-
mend to you the virtue of holy obedience ; it is in this we
can best testify our love of God, by submitting in all things
to the creature for the love of the Creator ; it is by this
that we die with Jesus Christ on the cross, in order to
enjoy life eternal with Him. Amen.
" Besides this renunciation of ourselves by perfect obedi-
ence, our Divine Saviour requires us to carry our cross
daily by the practice of our vow of poverty. It is doubtless
a heavy cross to possess nothing on earth but only Him
who has borne the cross upon His own shoulders ; who
died on it, fastened to it with nails, crowned with thorns,
mocked, covered with spittle, His body bruised with blows,
and His side pierced with a lance. O holy poverty,
ensign of our abnegation, precious stone, mark of our
salvation !
"Oh, my dear sisters, love, love and love with a perfect
love this noble and beautiful virtue of holy poverty, dear
to God and hated by the world. Imitate in this our Lord
Jesus Christ, who had not where to lay His head ; follow
the example of our holy father St. Francis, and of our
holy mother St. Clare ; content yourself with the poor
habit allowed by the rule ; consider it hurtful to you to
possess the least thing of your own, whether it be a book,
a little thread, a rosary, needles, pins, linens, veils, or
anything else. Limit yourself to what is absolutely neces-
sary, and do not place your affections even on this. The
cross of poverty which we must carry consists in abstaining
always from meat, in fasting daily, in enduring cold and
bare feet, in using a hard bed and coarse garments, in
being satisfied with poor food, in giving ourselves up to
labour of mind and body. Whoever, at the hour of death,
is found possessed of anything, in fact, or even in will,
cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. So, my beloved
children, live and die in true poverty, as the Son of God
ST. COLETTE AND HER REFORMS 189
baa died for us on the cross. I commend this virtue of
to you above all things, because it is the ladder
hi* h we reach our heavenly kingdom by despising
all earthly goods for the love of God, who is the Eternal
•h.
"Again, our Divine Lord has said : Follow Me ' : by
lerstand that we should imitate Jesus Christ,
the spotless Lamb, the pure Son of a virgin mother, in
observing faithfully the vow of chastity. This vow, while
iftrs on u an mwolable purity of soul and body,
makes us brides of Jesus Christ. O sublime virtue of
perished by God as His dear Spouse;
revered by the angels as the lady of their Lord and King
tod, and ratified by the holy Scriptures !
"My beloved children, it is for you that our Divine
Saviour has lived on earth in obedience, jpoverty and
chastit. He, who is the source of all virtue, was in a
sapol forty hours ; in this you are happy to imitate
dear Saviour ; for after you have made the vows of
obedience, poverty and chastity, you make that of enclo-
ln whuh yon will live (perhaps fa years, or
more) and die. Thus, in virtue of this vow, you may
consider yourselves even now as in your sepulchre. Oh t
thy of veneration is the sepulchre of our Saviour,
ih is visited with devotion by multitudes of the faith-
ful ! 1 low worthy of esteem also is your sepulchre, where
so many souls retire in order to find eternal salvation !
O blessed enclosure, which preserves you from so many
occasions of danger, and in which you may freely practise
most noble virtues 1 In you is found perfect obedi-
ence, the daughter of humility, by which we ren<>>
* ill . the real root of every evil. To the attacks
m oppose poverty, which preserves you
from dissipation. To the perilous temptation of your
domestic enemy, you oppose chastity, prayer, fastings,
watchings, cold, bare feet, mortification of the senses,
silence, tears, religious discipline . the divine office, the
190 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
holv sacrifice of the Mass, the remembrance of death, the
cross and passion. Cast far from you your own will, and
the inclinations of your corrupt nature. 0 happy enclo-
sure ! Abide in it, my dear children ; never withdraw
yourselves from it ; fix there your dwelling and your only
repose.
"Thank the most Holy Trinity, One God in Three
Persons, for all the benefits which He has poured out upon
you ; above all for the adorable mystery of the Incarna-
tion, by which our God, after He had made all things for
us, has condescended further to take our nature and to
become our Brother, in order to deliver us from death by
the merits of His dolorous Passion. O incomprehensible
love ! O ingratitude of man ! who so often forgets this
love. My dear children, thank God also for all the
graces which He has given you in holy baptism, for it is
in this sacrament you were restored to original innocence,
and became the temples of the Holy Ghost. The Divine
mercy has gone yet further. After you have fallen into
sin, it recalls you to penance and has led you, without
considering your merits, into holy religion, where all that
surrounds you edifies and assists you to good. Thank
God, then, for all His mercies; praise Him without ceas-
ing ; love Him with a love worthy of Him. Praise and
love the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, the most holy
Virgin Mary, all the holy angels, all the saints and all
the just souls who having served God faithfully have left
this world in His love. The end of all things is at hand ;
charity has become cold ; devotion is rare in the heart.
Many make solemn promises to God , but few observe them
faithfully ; therefore, my dear children, renounce the world
with your whole heart, and observe your holy vows in-
violably and faithfully. It is far better not to make vows,
than to fail in observing them faithfully. For, the more
important the vow is, the more sinful is the transgres-
sion, and the more awful the judgment on the sinners.
But, for the faithful soul, the greater the vow, the greater
OLETTE \M) BKH REFORMS 191
i observance and the recompense of glory
b will be granted to you by the mercy of the Father,
the passion of the Son, and the grace of the Holy S;
the source of grace, of love, and of all consolation. An
years after the death of Colette, in the year
the Provincial of the Franciscans had her body
iraed, and the bones enclosed in a case and buried
again. One of the Poor Clares who assisted at the cere-
s' was the sisti r of the Bishop of Cambray, and wrote
and told hmi what had been done. The Bishop, desiring
the relics should have better security, again had them
1 and buried beneath a large, heavy stone, on
!<• re rests the body of the virtuous
of Jesus Christ, Sister Colette, first abbess and
' inatrice of the Order of St. Clare, who di« d 1-1-17. «m
the 6th day of March. She wished to have in this place
and in this earth her humble ton
The desire for the beatification of the saint was strong,
here we come to one of the strangest anomalies that
this chronicle can show us — it was Henry VIII of Eng-
land who in 1513 wrote one of the strongest letters to
Leo X in favour of the canonization of the carpenter's
daughter —
"To oub Most II
"Most Holy Father, humbly prostrate before your
net* I kiss your feet with the most profound respect.
nee our arrival in Belgium we have beard resounding
on all n praises of the glorious virgin Colette,
celebrated for the purity, simplicity and innocence of her
life, and also for her admirable zeal and charity. For it
is she who has < limited not only Belgium, but also
France, Burgundy, Savoy and other countries, with
monasteries founded by her care and industry under the
192 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
direction of the Holy Spirit ; and she has filled them with
chaste virgins who continually offer to God the sacrifice
of praise.
" Every day multitudes of the faithful are seen hurrying
to her tomb, who find there the accomplishment of their
prayers and solace for their griefs. On this account it
appears astonishing to us that this holy woman has not
yet been inscribed in the number of holy virgins. We
therefore come ourselves, most holy Father, to lay our
ardent desire at the feet of your Holiness, and to beseech
you most earnestly to enrol this blessed Colette in the
number of the holy virgins, after your Holiness has
proved the authenticity of the virtues and marvels attri-
buted to her.
" This solemn act will serve for the advancement of our
holy religion and the honour of Colette, and will conse-
crate to immortality the name of your Holiness.
" May the Most High grant to your Blessedness perfect
health, and the accomplishment of your desires.
"Your devoted and most obedient son,
"Henry.
"From our city of Tournai, the 25th of September,
1513."
But the time was not yet.
In the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, we read :
" Clement VIII, by his diplomate in the year 1604, granted
to the abbess of the monastery of St. Clare at Ghent,
that the office in honour of the same Blessed Colette, de
communi unius Virginis, should be recited by them yearly
on the day of her death, and that they should have the
power freely and lawfully of causing Mass to be celebrated
on the same day in their own church to her honour, and
similarly de communi unius Virginis."
This was the informal canonization, as it were. The
formal canonization did not take place till the 24th of
May, 1807, when Pius VII issued the decree, and himself
ST. COLETTE AM) II Ml REFORMS 198
preached the panegyric in the Basilica of St. Peter.
mes had gone through many dangers
and trials for the preservation of the relics of their beloved
dress. In 1577 the nuns of Ghent had to fly before
he bones with them, and found
he Poor Clares of Arras. In 1587 the
urued to Gben convent was in ruins,
pious people rebuilt it fur them, and showed
great devotion towards the relics of the saint In
1643 Father Sylvester came to the nuns and begged
a portion of .cs for the altar of the new church
at Corbie.
1783 the Poor Clares were again expelled from Ghent
lie Emperor Joseph II, and had to take refuge at
igny convent. France hesitated to grant them
the queenly and saintly Carmelite, Madame
of Loin \\ I. and in religion 8r. Teresa
Augustine, appealed to her nephew on their
behalf.
There was great difficulty about the safe-conduct of the
■ ie people of Ghent did not wish to part with t !
nuns felt that their saint must share their
exile. At last they were formally consigned to Madame
Louise, who as formally recon signed them to Poligny,
keeping one small bone for her convent at St.
Denis. In 1791 the sisters thought it ssfe to return to
lose strong enough set out for the return :
several had died. They left the relics behind them.
But if the death of Joseph II had brought religious
peace to Belgium, the French Revolution now brought
terror to the religious houses in France. It was the
turn for the nuns of Poligny to fly— and so suddenly
could not take the saint's relics with them : they
could only place them in the village church of St.
Hyppolite in the care of the cure. One of the nuns
remained at Poligny bidden in the house of her parents,
and she kept watch over the relics.
o
194 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
One day, when passing a club where the Revolutionists
met, she heard cries of "Let us burn Mademoiselle
Colette and Monsieur Hyppolite ! " At great personal
risk this nun (whose name was Constance Parpandet)
entered the club and stayed long enough to learn that the
proposal was to burn the parish church next day. With
the help of friends the relics were removed that night
and buried under some refuse of a broken wall of the
church. When the Revolutionists came the next day and
found no relics, they decided not to burn the church, but
to turn it into a temple for the Goddess of Reason. The
poor nun saw this work begun, and the workmen drawing
nearer to clearing out the corner where the relics were hid.
Then one night with bare feet she entered the church
secretly and carried off the casket to her own house. For
some years the precious casket was hidden in different
houses in Poligny ; for on account of the domiciliary in-
vestigations of the Friends of Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity, it was not safe to leave it long in one place ;
but at last in 1801 the churches were restored to their own
use, and in 1804 the relics were solemnly restored to their
place, and Constance Parpandet was present on that
occasion.
The former abbess of Poligny had found a refuge with
the Poor Clares of Romans, and now there was once more
peace, she returned to Poligny with some of her hostesses,
who had offered their help. The people of the city wel-
comed them warmly and built them a monastery on the
old site ; Mother Gertrude, now well on in years, herself
superintending and urging on the workers. In 1819 they
entered the monastery ; the convent church was not
finished till some years later, after the death of Mother
Gertrude ; but on the 12th of December, 1822, the aged
Sister Constance assisted at the final translation of the
relics of Colette from the parish church to the monastery,
where they still remain at the date of writing — the 1st of
January, 1912. With what doubt one puts the date!
ST. COLETTE AND HER REFORMS 195
For the poor nuns live ever in dread of expulsion : bow-
calm their day* are, they can never feel any security
for the morrow. It seems strange indeed that these N
ilea* women may not pursue in peace their life of
pfmyw.
O 3
CHAPTER IX
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN
Thb first settlements of Clares in England were made
from France at the end of the thirteenth century. Thus
Wadding, under date 1286, gives "Novum Castrum super
Tynam dieu Dunelmensis in Anglia " — the only note we
have of this early honour to Newcastle-on-Tyne. Of
several houses — such as Preston — only some passing men-
tion can be found, but of four (Minories, Waterbeach,
Denney and Brusyard) we have managed to collect quite
a number of interesting details. It is particularly notable
that the names of families who were connected with the
Clares before the dissolution can still be found in the roll
of Clares of to-day.
The fatal fault of these early Clares seems to have been
to attempt to pander to the English commercial spirit,
and to deviate from the strict path of poverty wherein
alone can the Poor Clare find prosperity.
The first and most important foundation was in
London, in the street near Aldgate which is still called
the "Minories" after seven hundred years. We quote
first from Dugdale —
" Nuns Minoresses of London : an elaborate account of
this House, by Rev. Dr. Fly, the incumbent of the
Church which has arisen upon its site, was communicated
to the Society of Antiquaries in 1803, and printed in the
XVth Vol. of the Archceologia. From this and other
authorities we learn that Blanche, Queen of Navarre, wife
to Edmund Earl of Lancaster, having encouraged some
poor ladies of the new order of St. Clare, or Minoresses, to
come into England, the said Edmund obtained leave of
190
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 197
his brother, King Edward the First, ad. 1293, to build on
cast side of the street leading from the Tower to
Aldgate, without the walls of the City, an Abbey for those
Nuns, to the honour of the Bleated Virgin and St. Francis.
first endowment appears to have consisted of
e tenements and four parcels of ground in the lmme-
vicinity of the House, with a rent of thirty pounds
a year, issuing out of estates in London . in St. Lawrence's
Market, near West Cheap, in Cordwainer's Street, and at
Dkmgstt.
: Ibim diflVn nt Hulls were procured for these Nuns,
soon after the foundation of thnr li
t<< VI II' i the first two in 1294, releasing them
ill jurisdiction but that of the Papal See ; the third
regulating the internal government and conduct of the
Society. In 1316, the endowment being found inadequate
be support «>f the House, King Edward the Second
released these Nuns from all tallage payable to the Crown
lands. In 1320 they were allowed to receive
us additional tenements, partly of the gift of Henry
Sales, citizen of London. Dr. Fly enumerates various
>ns of a smaller kind to this House, during
th< reigns of King Edward the Third and King Richard
the Second. Henry the Fourth granted to them the
custody of the manor or alien Priory of Apuldercombe in
the I sl«- of Wight, during the then war between England
and I ranee, which was afterwards granted to them in
perpetuity, under letters patent of the 22nd Henry VI.
They had general Confirmation, also, of their privileges
possessions from King Henry 1 g Henry V,
King Henry VI, and King Edward IV. In the last of
these reigns, too, one or two messuages were added to
r possessions."
The next document is particularly interesting —
l.li/ Horwode was Abbess of the Minories in the time
V. Among the Hsrleian MSS., No. 2397,
ii Hilton's Scale of Perfection of the Reformyng of
198 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Mannys Soule," on a leaf at the end of which is written :
"Dame Elizabeth Horwode, Abbass of the Minoresse off
London to her gostle comfforthe bowzt thys Boke, hyt to
remayne to the use of the Systerrs of the said place to
pray for the Gever, and for the sowles of her fader and
her moder, Thomas Horwode, and Beatrix, and the sowle
of Maistre Boberton Alderton."
Walter Hilton, D.D., was a Carthusian in the time of
Henry VI, and this book of his, Scala Perfectionis, was
first published from W. de Worde's press in 1494.
Another edition of 1506 is entitled "A devoute Boke
compyled by Master Walter Hilton to a devoute Man in
temporall Estate how he shulde rule him." We like to
think that a devout woman in a religious state appreciated
this early contemplative piece of literature. We know of
no modern edition of this interesting work.
In 1515, in a time of pestilence in London, no fewer
than twenty-seven nuns, besides lay-sisters, died in this
convent.
It was surrendered to the King by Elizabeth Savage,
the last abbess, 30th Henry VIII. The site was granted,
31st Henry VIII, to John Clerk, Bishop of Bath and
Wells. Having reverted to the Crown, it was again
granted out, 6th Edward VI, a.d. 1553, to Henry, Duke
of Suffolk. Its further descent to later times may be seen
in Dr. Fly's Memoir, pp. 111-112.
Tanner has given numerous references to public records
concerning this house of the Minoresses, to which the
reader is referred. Its annual revenues at the suppression
were worth £311 15s. Id., MS. Val. ; £318 8s. bd., Dugd. ;
£342 5s. 10Jd., Speed ; £418 Ss. 5d., Leland and Stow.
Stow, in his Account of Portsoken W arete, says that
the length of this abbey contained fifteen perches and
seven feet, as appeared by a deed dated a.d. 1303.
In March 1797 a fire which consumed or damaged many
of the buildings south of the church here from the main
street laid open large remains of the conventual offices than
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 199
bad been before visible, particularly of a spacious apart-
ment supposed to have been the refectory. Other remains
bo be seen worked into different houses on the west
aide of Haydon Street.
i'i History of Abbeys and Monasteries (additional
volumes to Dugdale's Monasticon, 2062 c. in Beading
Room) has old prints of " A Minoresa or Franciscan
Minoreas or Poor Clare
Monastery of Minoresses
or Clares without Aldgate."
rom the west part of Tower-HM towards Aldgate,
being a long continued Street, amongst other smaller
h\ nidings in that Row, there was some time an Abbey of
I of the Order of St. Clare, called the Minories,
Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and
bar to King Edward I, in the year 1908, the
Length of which Abbey oontain'd 15 Perches, and seven
Foot, near unto the King'e-Street, or Highway, etc. as
appears by a Deed dated 1908. A Plague of Pestilence
being in this City, in the year 1515, there dy'd in this
House of Nuns profess'd, to the Number of 27, besides
other Lay -People, Servants in the House. This House
was valu'd to dispend 118/. 8*. 5d. yearly, and was sur-
render^ by Dame Elisabeth Savage, the last Abbess
th.-n •. unto King Henry VIII, in the 80th year of his
Reign and of Christ 1539.
In Place of this House of Nuns are built divers fair
and large Store-Houses for Armour and Habiliments of
War, with divers Work-Houses serving to the same
Purpose. There is also a small Parish-House for the
Inhabitants of the Close, called Holy Trinity.
"Near adjoining to this Abbey, on the South side
thereof, was some time a Farm, belonging to the said
Nunn. ry. <tr." (Stow's Survey of London, p. 118).
"Note. That this Farm last above mention 'd, appears
to be the same lately call'd Goodman's Fields, since built
into handsome streets, for Stow says it belong'd to one
200 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Goodman, and was by him let out to grazing. It is a
gross mistake here, and in what follows to call this an
Abbey, and the Superioress an Abbess, because those of
this Order never use those Names. Leland, in his Col-
lectanea, Vol. I, says the same as above concerning the
Founder, Valuation, and Suppression of this Nunnery
(see the Monasticon, Vol. I, p. 542, and of the English
Abridgement, p. 67)."
Francis de Sta. Clara, in Hist. Frat. Min., p. 18, writes
thus of this monastery —
"In the year 1293, under King Edward I, was built and
endow 'd the Monastery of the Poor Clares, to this day
call'd the Minoresses, by the Lady Blanch, Queen of
Navarre, and her Husband, Earl of Leicester, Brother to
King Edward I. This Monastery was call'd the House of
Grace of St. Mary, and was possess'd of the Church of
Hertingdon, with all its Profits, which was of the
Patronage of the noble Edmund, Brother to King
Edward. It had also great Privileges from the Popes.
Elizabeth, Mother to King Edward III, dy'd in this
Order, and was bury'd at the Franciscans in London."
The two charters of King Edward I, licensing the
founding and endowing of this nunnery, are in the
Appendix, Vol. II, Num. I F. and IF. (in Latin).
"Minoresses, their Nunnery at London.
"King Edward I, in the first year of his Beign, granted
his Licence of Mortmain to his Brother Edmund, for him
to give and assign a Place he had in the Parish of St.
Botolph without Aldgate to the Nuns of the Order of
Minors, to be brought into England by Blanch, Queen of
Navarre, his said Brother's wife, there to serve God, the
Blessed Virgin, and St. Francis; and allow'd the said
Nuns to receive the same, without being disturb 'd on
Account of the Statute of Mortmain."
Stow tells (of the Minories)—
" Neare adjoyning to the Abbey on the south side thereof
was sometime a Farme belonging to the said Nunnes, at
( i OF GREAT BRITAIN
b same I myself in my youth have fetched many a
pennie worth of Milke, and never had lease than
ale pints for a half pennie in the winter, always hot
from the Kine, as the same was milked and strained.
" One Truli ip and afterwards Goodman was the Farmers
re, and had thirtie or fortie lone to the Pail.
oodman's son, being heyre to his father's purchase,
it the ground first for grazing of horse, and then for
garden plots and lived like a gentleman thereby."
Our last reference is from Froissart's Chronicles, and
is useful as showing the reputation of this convent for
riches. The whole section is given because of the his-
il sketch of the times which makes it more easy to
understand the position and difficulties of the Clares, and
also the disposition of the people towards nuns and
nunneries —
re fell about this time in England, an event that
gave great displeasure to the earl of Buckingham when be
heard of ill explain to you what it was. Hum-
y, earl of Hereford and Northampton, and constable
tigland, was one of the greatest lords and landholders
in that country ; for it was said, and I, the author of this
book, heard it when I resided in England, that his revenue
was valued at fifty thousand nobles a-year. From this
earl of Hereford there remained only two daughters as
his heiresses; Blanche the eldest, and Mary her sister.
The eldest was married to Thomas of Woodstock, earl of
ingham. The younger was unmarried, snd the earl
of Buckingham would willingly have had her remain so,
he would have enjoyed the whole of the earl of
Hereford's fortune. Upon his marriage with Eleanor, he
went to reside at his handsome castle of Pleshy, in the
county of Essex miles from London, which he
possessed in right of his wife. He took on himself the
age of his sister-in-law, and had her instructed m
doctrine ; for it was his intention she should be professed
in of the order of 8t. Clare, which had a rcry rich and
202 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
large convent in England. In this manner was she
educated during the time the earl remained in England
before his expedition into France. She was also con-
stantly attended by nuns from this convent, who tutored
her in matters of religion, continually blaming the married
state. The young lady seemed to incline to their doctrine,
and thought not of marriage.
" Duke John of Lancaster, being a prudent and wise man,
foresaw the advantage of marrying his only son, Henry,
to the lady Mary ; he was heir to all the possessions of
the house of Lancaster in England, which were very con-
siderable. The duke had for some time considered he
could not choose a more desirable wife for his son than the
lady who was intended for a nun, as her estates were very
large, and her birth suitable to any rank ; but he did not
take any steps in the matter until his brother of Bucking-
ham had set out on his expedition to France. When he
had crossed the sea, the duke of Lancaster had the young
lady conducted to Arundel castle ; for the aunt of the two
ladies was the sister of Richard, earl of Arundel, one of
the most powerful barons of England. This lady Arundel,
out of complaisance to the Duke of Lancaster , and for the
advancement of the young lady, went to Pleshy, where
she remained with the countess of Buckingham and her
sister for fifteen days. On her departure from Pleshy,
she managed so well that she carried with her the lady
Mary to Arundel, when the marriage was instantly con-
summated between her and Henry of Lancaster. During
their union of twelve years, he had by her four handsome
sons, Henry, Thomas, John and Humphrey, and two
daughters, Blanche and Philippa.
"The earl of Buckingham, as I said, had not any
inclination to laugh when he heard these tidings; for it
would now be necessary to divide an inheritance which he
considered wholly as his own, excepting the constableship
which was continued to him. When he learnt that his
brothers had all been concerned in this matter, he became
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN MM
melancholy, and never after loved be the duke of Lancas-
ter as be bad hitherto don.
\Y. turn to Dugdale for the best account of the Abbey
I u n s Minoresaes at Watbrbbach in Cambridgeshire—
i he lady Dionysia de Monte Canuaioor Mountcbensey ,
ad. 1293, built here, to the honour of the Piety of the
blessed Virgin Mary and St. Clare, this Abbey. Tanner
nays she bad a grant of the manor of Wsterbeche, and
ice to found a house of religion therein ten or eleven
years before, but the Minoresaes were not resolved upon
nil 22 Ed. I. The Nuns here were removed about a.d.
1348, as has been already mentioned, by Mary, Countess
■ m broke, to a religious House of the seme order, then
lately founded by her at Denney in Cambridgeshire.
Joanne de Nivernis occurs Abbess of Wsterbeche in 1904,
Joanne de Trenge in Ed. III. The ad vow son of the
church of ltidgeweil in Essex was granted to this House
m ike -Jith U
derbecham Nunnery of the Order of St. Clare in
rig Edward I, in the 22d Year of his Reign, granted
Leave to Dionisia de Monte Canitio to found a Monastery
of Nuns of whatsoever order she pleas d in the Manor of
Waterbeche, which she held of him m CapiU, and thst
the Religious there founded might hold the seme as a
perpetual Alms, from all Secular Service, and that she
might bring from beyond the Sea as many Sisters of the
said Order as she thought fit : Verify 'd by Inquisition
the 29th Year of King Edward I.
ng Edward HI connrm'd this Grant to the said
Nunnery of St. Mary and St. Clare at Waterbeche, being
There is also some detail about Waterbeche in Stevens's
Abbeys and Monasteries —
"Nunnery of Minoresaes, or of the Order of 8t. Clare,
in the County of Cambridge .
204 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
"Dionysia de Monte Caniso, Lady of Anesty, in the
County of Cambridge, gave the Manor of Waterbeche to
Joanna de Nevers, Abbess, and the Convent of Water-
beche, and is the original Foundress in the Reign of King
Edward I.
"The Witnesses to the Donation were, William Bishop
of Ely, Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Hugh his
Son; Reginald de Argentein; Hugh Walington, then
Sheriff of Cambridgeshire ; Richard Frevile ; Henry Cole-
vile, William Crikecot, John Wanthaump, Thomas de
Scalaries, Henry Lacy, Ralph the Son of Felton; Simon
Gradenham, Knights.
"Mary of St. Paul, Countess of Pembroke, obtain'd a
Grant of Edward II, for translating the Nuns, with their
Possessions, from Waterbech to the Abbey of Deneye,
whereof she had been the first Foundress, and thus the
Union came to pass.
"The Witnesses to the Donation of the Manor of
Histon, which Philip Tilney, Knight; John Brove, and
Walter Goddard granted to the Abbey of Deneye, in the
Reign of King Richard II, Lord Hugh de la Zouche,
William Cheney, Knight; Richard Stukeley, Knight;
Robert Paris, Simon Wythame."
Our last document with reference to this foundation is
from the donation deed of the church of Goderston in the
county of Norfolk —
"We Mary of St. Paul, Countess of Pembroke, Lady of
Weyseford and Montinae."
And in the same —
"For the Health of the Soul of Lord Adamar de
Valentia, once Earl of Pembroke, our Husband, and of
the Souls of Guido de Casteliom, late Earl of St. Paul,
our Father, and of Mary de Sorctamen, alias Britann, my
Mother.
"Adamar Dascellis, among the witnesses.
"Elizabeth Throgmerton, late Abbess of Deney.
"They have the Manor of Hibal, in the County of
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN
bridge. They have the Manor of Stroode in
It ha* generally been supposed that all the nuns of
• rbeach were transferred to Denney, bat this wh
probably nut so ; for we find at the time of the dissolution
that there were twenty-five nuns of tome Order at Water-
beach , and that their revenue was estimated at The
convent was suppressed.
The remains of the nunnery are now used ss a farm,
refectory being converted into a barn.
• best account of the foundation of Denkit, a hamlet
dose to Waterbeach, where Lady Pembroke i natal led Poor
as, has been translated for as from Dugdsle's
Moruuticon—
"Denney, Abby in Cambridgeshire.
I ii the last Tear of Nigellius, Bishop of Ely, being the
Tear 1169, one Robert, Chamberlain to the Eat
britany, being sick to Death, reoeiv'd the Habr
Religion of the Monks of Ely, and gave to them for ever
• 11 of Denney, which he had founded, and they were
in Possession of, and confirm 'd it by Deed, and then the
Monks of Ely purchas'd of Albricus Picot his Part of
Denney, Elmeney still remaining to them, with the Land
given them by the Father of the said Albricus in the Town
lieche, being six Acres.
"The aforesaid Bishop Nigellus confirm'd the same.
The Charter of King Edward III, dated Anno 1341, con-
firms the Grant made by Mary of St. Paul, Countess of
Pembroke, by which she conferr'd all the Manor of
Denney on the Nans of St. Clare, or the Minoresses;
and by another Charter the said King confirms to the
same Nuns the Manor of Strode, of the Gift also of the
aforesaid Mary of St. Paul : His 3rd Charter confirms to
Ivowson of the Abbey of Waterbeche of the
same Order, and from the same Benefactress. King
206 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Henry IV ratify 'd those and all other Grants made to
this Monastery.
"Robert, Chamberlain to the Earl of Richmond,
granted to these Monks of St. James, and St. Leonard,
in the Isle of Denny, two parts of Elmeney, his lands at
Beche ; the 9th Earl of Wilburham and Wendey, and the
Churches of Wendey, Wilburham, and Kirkbey, desiring
his Children to add to the same, and wishing that if any
of his Heirs should diminish his said Alms, he might be
from his Mouth accurs'd in the Sight of God, and con-
demn'd in the dreadful Judgment, unless he repented.
Conan Duke of Britany and Earl of Richmond, confirm 'd
this Grant.
"Albericus Picot, upon the complaints of these Monks
who had been first settled in the Isle of Elmeney, they
being there much incommoded by the Waters, gave them
4 Acres and a half in the Island of Denny, being a higher
Ground, for their Monastery and Gardens, still confirming
to them the Possession of Elmeney."
Edward III wrote a Latin letter to the General of the
Brothers Minor, in which occurs the following phrase :
"When the Abbess of Deney heard that her nuns who
had been sent forth in different directions were gathering
together without her reach , and would thus bring the place
which had been under her rule to disgrace, she sternly
forbade them to do it ; and we rejoice in that they obeyed
her commands with humility and devotion " (Monumenta
Franciscana) . It is certain some of the nuns wished to
remain at Waterbeach, and were encouraged by some
friars to do so. Whether they really all obeyed their
abbess and followed her to Denney, as Edward says, is
rather doubtful.
Tanner's account of Denney is as follows —
"About a.d. 1160, Robert, the Chamberlain to Conan
Duke of Britanny and Earl of Richmond, became monk
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 207
ly, and gave a small island called Elmeney. in the
parish of Beche, to that convent, but they, being mightily
incommoded by the Water, Aubrey Pioot gave them some
acres on a higher situation in the isle of Deneye, where
they settled, and had a church dedicated to St. James and
Leonard, before the Death of Bishop Nigell, w!
happened a.d. 1169. These Benedictines from Ely do not
seem to have continued here long, fur in the next cen
there were persons of another order, vis. Templars, for in
the taxation of this diocese of Ely, made a.d. 1266, the
Templarii de Daneye, or the Fretres Deneye, occur often
as owners of lands in several parishes within the Deanery
hesterton. Within lees than a hundred years after
that we meet with a third sort of Religions in this place ;
for King Edward the Third, having given the Manor of
Denney to Mary de St. Pauls (or Pol), widow to Adomere,
i of Pembroke, she first designed to give it to the
Abbey of Waterbeche, but afterwards altered her mm,!.
and 15 Bdwari III founded here a Monastery for an
Abbess and Nuns Minoresses to the honour of the blessed
Virgin Mary and St. Clare, to which within a few years
Waterbeche ws* so that about the time of the
general Dissolution, there were in Denney Abbey twenty-
five Nuns, who were endowed with lands to the yearly
valu. 72 Ss.tyd., Dugdale; £218 0*. l«d.. Speed;
the greatest part of which, with the site of the monastery,
passed from the Crown, 31st Henry VIII, to Edward
ngton."
Burnet, Hist. Reform. , Vol. I, p. 224, says this was
one of the thirty-one monasteries which were reprieved
for two years to satisfy the discontents of the people.
The following names of Abbesses of Denney have
occurred to the present editors : Isabella Kendale occurs
Henry IV; Agnes Bernard, 1414; Margaret Mill
Milly, 1419 and (Catherine Sybyle, 1434; Joane,
August 12, 1459; Joane Keteryche, February 3, 1468;
Margaret Asaheby, 20th Edward IV, 1480; she occurs
208 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
5th Henry VII; Elizabeth Throchmorton, the last
abbess.
In Coles's time there were considerable remains of
Denney Abbey, situated about a mile and a half to the
north-west of Waterbeach church. Buck engraved but a
small portion of them in 1730.
The arms of Denney Abbey were the same as those of
Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, of which Mary de St. Pol
was also the foundress. Cole, Vol. XL VI, has given a
rude sketch of the seal, large and oval."
Here is a more modern account —
"Denney Nunnery of Minoresses in Cambridgeshire.
"Founded by the Lady Mary de Valence, Countess of
Pembroke, Baroness of Veister and Montenatt, Daughter
to Guy Chastillon, Earl of St. Paul in France, and his
wife, Mary, the Daughter of John the 2nd Duke of
Britany, and Earl of Richmond by his wife Beatrix, the
daughter of King Henry III, third wife to Andomar de
Valence, Earl of Pembroke, is reported to have been the
same day, maid, wife and widow, her Husband Andomar
being on the wedding-day kill'd at a tilting. She was,
however, left his Executrix, and being struck with the
unfortunate death of her Husband, gave herself up to a
religious Life, bestowing most of her Possessions on
religious Uses, part on Churches, part on the Poor, and
part on her Servants. Among her other pious works was
the founding of this Nunnery, to which she brought Nuns
from Waterbeach, and endow'd it with considerable
Lands, and the Manor of Stroud in Kent" (Parker's
View of Cambridge in his Account of Pembroke Hall).
" Mary of St. Paul sometimes liv'd in the Monastery of
Duste, in the County of Hertford.
" The Manor of Deneye was given among other things
to Mary of St. Paul by the King, on Account of her
quitting to the King the Claim and Right she had to the
( LARES OF GREAT BRITAIN
Manors of lltrtfnrd. UanrU^d, H | gham-Ftrrars , M
muth, and Kenenah.
he Manor of Stroode in Kent, near Ro> waa
ry of St. Paul, in Favour of her daughter,
Joanna of Wodestoke, whom abe bred, and carefully
obser eland's I Vol. I, pp. 98-09).
The story of the nuns of Denney offers us also a very
typical light on the story of the dissolution of the monas-
teries. We have a letter from the notorious Dr. Legb,
saying how all the weeping nuns came out to meet him
desired to be free ; also a tale about a married nun
who wished to return to her husband, which, aa married
women were not, and never have been, received into the
Order of St. Clare, must be credited to the imagination of
Ijegh. We shall give the whole letter, which deals
more scandalous aspersions on the nuns of Sopwith,
because we believe in the whole truth, and we desire to
face all the evil that waa said or may now be said. Note
also the explanatory additions of Johan ap Reea 1
M second letter is, it so happens, from these same
weeping nuns, pressing that, because of their good reputa-
y may be allowed to remain at Denney, a request
was granted for the time being ; though on the 28th
st, 1536, Denney was finally suppressed, there
g then twenty-five nuns in residence, and the revenue
placed at £218.
8ir Henry Ellis, Letter CCCIV.
" Doctor Thomas Legh and John ap Bees to Secretary
Cromwell. Their visitation at Cambridge, Sopham Nun-
nery, and Denney —
"Also being at a Noonrie hereby called Sopham, we
found nother tolerable sorte of lyving nor good administra-
te n there, but all ferre out of order. The Ladie there
hathe given a benefice being appropried to the House, of
the yerely vale we of XXXU-, to a Fryer, which they saye
she loves well, the House not being able to dispende fully
210 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Cu- in all. The said Frier is noted of the comon rumor
of all the contrey hereabouts and also of all the susters of
the said House to be nought with the Priores there. And
to make you laugh, we sende you a lettre which is sup-
posed not without sure conjectures to be sent unto her
from the said Fryer, as in the name of a woman , although
any man maye soone perceve that it cam from a lovier.
Wherby ye maye perceve her conversacon. Then the
Priores and all wold have goon foorth yf we had suffred
theym. And they had doon all catall, corne and house-
holde stuff for that intent.
"And at Denny also, there we founde half a dozen of
full moste instantely desired with wepyng eyes to goo
foorth, amongst whome one is a faire yong woman, suster
to Sr Gyles Strangwige, which was and is maryed to
one Kyvel, a merchant Ventrer, at London, with whom
she had iiij children, and no we moved of scruple of con-
science, as she saith, desireth most humbly to be dismised
and restored to her husbande. And so by this ye may
see that they shall not nede to be put foorth, but that
they woll make instance theymself to be delivered. So
that their doing shal be imputed to theymself and to no
other. And theis at Denye doo importunately crie that
they lyve here dayli against their conscience, and therfor
doo loke for an answer of yor pleasure in that behalf.
And thus Allmightie God have yo* Mastership in his most
blessed tuicion. From Denye, the XXXth of October.
" Y0™ ever assured
"Thomas Lbgh D."
"Sr, although I reken it well doon that all were out,
yet I thinke it were best that at their own instante sute
they might be dimised to avoyde calumnacion, and envie.
And so compelling theym to observe theis injunctions ye
shall have theym all to doo shortely. And the people
shall knowe it the better that it cometh upon their sute,
yf they be not straight discharged while we be here. For
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN '-Ml
than the people wolde Baye that we wente for do other
cause about than to expcll theym, though the truth were
contrarie. For they jajO all thing of the effectes that
followeth, and not all ways of the trueth.
" Your most bounden servant,
ioHN AP Rl
Gairdner, J., Letters and Papers, Vol. IX (1094).
"The Abbess and Convent of Brosiarde to Cromwell.
We, your oratrices and humble subjects, thank you
.our worshipful letter, whereby you have comforted
us desolate persons. We assure you we have not alienated
u'oods of our home, or listened to any but discreet
isel. We have not wasted oar wood* beyond the usage
r predecessors in time of necessity. We beg yon to
cede for us with the King, our founder, that we may
inoe his bed© women, and pray for him, the Queen and
Maoem
II Add. Secretary. Endd
a writer of the above was Elisabeth Throgmorton,
at OBI tunc a nun at Ghent, and belonging to a noted
Catholic family. Her prayers and example are said to
have converted her brother from a dissolute life. There
is a letter extaut from a wealthy London merchant grant-
ing this abbess the loan of Tyndale's Enchiridion, so she
must have been a woman of learning as well as of good
position In the face of slanderers such as Legh it is
necessary to insist that the Poor Ladies were also great
ladies, and that many of them had the proud persistence
of St. Clare where their Order was concerned.
a next foundation was that of Brcstard in Suffolk.
"Nunnery of Minoresses, or Poor Clares, in Suffolk,
the Duke of Clarence the first Founder " (Leland, Collect. ,
I, p. 62).
" Bnueyard, Collegiate Church in the County of Suffolk.
p a
212 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
" William, Bishop of Norwich, made Statutes and Ordi-
nances for the well governing of this Church ; wherein he
sets forth, that Maud of Lancaster, then a Nun of the
Collegiate Church of Nuns at Campesse, in his Diocese,
Countess of Ulster, had founded a chantry of 5 Chaplains
in the Town of Ashe, near Campesse, appointing them to
perform the divine Service in the Chapel of the Annuncia-
tion of the glorious Virgin, within the Priory of the Nuns
at Campesse, and to reside in the Town of Ashe, without
and near the Priory aforesaid. But in regard that the said
Place was too far distant, and it was inconvenient for the
Priests to go twice a Day in Winter and in foul Weather,
especially if they were Ancient, to perform the Service of
the Church ; besides the Nearness of many Women close
by the Choir of Nuns, who distracted them by their Noise,
therefore at the request of the said Priests, and with the
Consent of the Nuns, he had remov'd the said Chantry to
Bruseyard, in the Manor of Rokhalle, and appointed them
the following Ordinances.
1. That they should have a decent Habitation at Bruse-
yard, with one dortor for them all to lye in and a Refectory
to eat together, as also a chapel in Honor of the Annuncia-
tion of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Divine Service.
Therefore, pursuant to the will of the aforesaid Maud, he
appointed there should be 5 perpetual Chaplains, one of
them to be Warden, or Master, to whom, or his Deputy
in his Absence, the rest should be obedient. The Wardens
and others to be cloath'd, shav'd, etc., all alike. In the
Choir to be like the Canons of Sarum. Three Masses to
be daily said, one of St. Mary, another of the Day, and
the third for the Dead. One of them to be appointed
Treasurer, and he to furnish Bread, Wine, etc., for the
Use of the Chapel. The Warden to have 60 Shillings,
and each other Priest 40 Shillings for Cloaths and other
Necessaries, besides diet. Upon a Vacancy, a Warden
to be chosen by the Chaplains, to be confirm 'd by the
Bishop, after having appeared before the Prioress of
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN III
Campesse, as Patroness of the said Chantry. That they
lid have a Common Seal unuVr three several Keys, etc.
w Ordinances are dated 1354" (Abergwylly).
Nuns Minorcsscs of Bruseyard in Suffolk.
•> following is Tanner's account of this house,
led upon the charters which follow, and upon the
of its first establishment preserved in the Bruse-
yard Chartulary. He says —
< ollege founded at Asshe by Bland, Countess of
was removed to the manor place of Rokehall in
Bruseyard, where was also built a chapel of the Annuncia-
1 tho proper offices for the Warden and Priests,
t upon some complaints, and at the instance
1 . Duke of Clarence, with the consent of the King,
this College or Chantry, with all the lands belonging
m was surrendered 4th Oct. 40th Ed. Ill to the
use of an Abbess and sisters, Nuns Minoresses of the
Order of St. Clare, who remained here till the general
ression when their yearly revenues were estimated st
12*. per annum. The site and endowments of the
Abbey were granted to Nicholas Hare, 30th Hen. VI 1 1
i hisM88.,Vol.XW II ■ «sjf I >n9 Margaret Csl-
tborpe as abbess here in 1500. Tanner gives references
to various public records concerning this house between
the 20th of Edward III and the 9th Henry V ; whence it
appears that in Suffolk and Norfolk they possessed the
manors of Rokehall in Bruseyard, Stanford, Harpham,
Wilton, Benye, the churches of Burgh, Rendelsham,
Sutton, Re . . . hall and St. Andrew of Bui mere, and
lands, tenements and rents in Holbrook, Tstingston,
Bruseyard, Swiftling, Saupton, Badlingham, Winston,
Petaugh, Debenham, Harpham and Harlton.
list of monasteries and convents which obtained
royal grant to remain undissolved we find Brusyard
r date the 4th of Jul and on the Treasurer's
214 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Roll we find the sum £20 as paid for this same patent to
remain. The abbess had written that the convent was
of good repute, and for the time being her small payment
and her influence secured her the grant. But on the 17th
of February, 1539, we find that the convent is surren-
dered, and that the revenue is estimated at £56 2s. Id.
Nor was it only in England that the Poor Clares suffered
at English hands ; when Francis Drake ravaged Haiti in
1586 he turned the Poor Clares out of their monastery
there — but Philip II of Spain re-installed them ! It is
just as well sometimes to see the other side of historical
events as sketched in the Protestant histories of the
ordinary English school !
These weeping nuns who, according to Dr. Legh, were
so ready to escape from the cloister migrated to the Low
Countries, and at Veere, Antwerp, St. Omer and elsewhere
took up again their life of prayer. At St. Omer Philip II,
King of Spain, gave them a house known as the "Archers
House," which the fugitive nuns more than filled. It was
here that the saintly Mary Ward entered as an extern
sister, the monastery being so crowded with English choir
nuns that the number of these could not be increased. A
few months before, the niece of Lord Lumley had also
been received as an extern sister. Whilst out "quest-
ing " Mary Ward heard of some land at Gravelines left
by will for the founding of a monastery ; she at once tried
to get possession of it, and, having means of her own,
was able to do so, and hand it over to the English Clares.
Gravelines is on the coast, near Calais, and in September
1609 Mgr. Blaze, Bishop of St. Omer, was able to estab-
lish the enclosure at the new convent, which was called
Nazareth.
The first abbess was Mother Mary Gough, or Goudge
— in religion Sister Marie de St. Etienne — and amongst
the first professions at Gravelines were Frances Wollaston ,
Agnes Knightley, Mary Parker and Mary Gifford. The
same English Catholic names appear again and again in
CI 3 OF GREAT BRITAIN 111
the records of the Poor Clares ; for instance, we find four-
teen CI if tons and seven Blundells on the rolls, and there
are several Gerards, Howards, Arundells, Powers,
Nugents, Talbots, Andertons, Tempests, Petries, Lang-
dales, Shaftoes, Marty ns, Jerninghams, and so on.
Mary Ward entered as a choir novice, but, strangely
igfa, found no vocation for the enclosed life; she
suffered great interior trials, and felt called to the found-
>f convents for English girls, but her confessors were
against it. She was yet young, only twenty-two, and she
resolved to return to England and wait awhile until her
path became plain to her. We shall come across her again
'• Anger convent at Munich.
Mother Mary Oough was a saintly and enthusiastic
woman , but unfortunately she only lived to serve five years
of office, and still more unfortunately, because of the great
call for Catholic instruction for young English girls tent
over to France, the Clares were obliged to undertake to
teach and receive pupils. The second abbess, 8nsan Gage,
was elected when only twenty-one years of age, and lived
to fill the office only eighteen months ; the third abbess
was Elizabeth Tildesley, who was twenty-nine years of
age, and who ruled nearly forty years. England furnished
so many vocations to Gravelines that in 1619 the abbess
was able to make a foundation at Aire, sending as abbess
Margaret Badcliffe, and with her eighteen choir nuns,
three lay-sisters and two novices.
In all the histories of this time when there is mention
of the wars in the Low Countries — such as Burnet's
History of his Own Time— there is mention of terrible
battles at these towns, and in an old war-map of General
John Hill's of Dunkirk (now in our posse do ion) the con-
vent of Poor Clares is marked as one of the important
buildings of the town.
In 1025 a second foundation was made at Dunkirk,
Anne Brown, a niece of Lord Montague's, being sent as
Bss, and with her eight or ten religious and some Friars
216 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Minor. From here a foundation was made at Newport
in 1627, but after two short years the Newport Clares
removed to Ireland.
At Gravelines there were fires and explosions and
alarms, and in 1644 the siege of the town for forty-three
days, during which the religious gave themselves up
entirely to prayer. On the victory of the French , Gaston ,
Due d 'Orleans, attended the convent chapel for the singing
of the Te Deum, the parish church having suffered
severely from the bombardment. In this same year the
third foundation from Gravelines was designed for Eouen,
though, owing to wars and alarms, it was not completed
for some years. Pope Innocent X gave to the Abbess of
Gravelines after this third foundation the title of " Mother
Superior of all the English and Irish Convents of Poor
Clares." It was little more than a title, as the abbess did
not travel ; she was trying, poor abbess ! to combine the
active and the contemplative life, and keep a school and
keep the rule of St. Clare at the same time. The French
nuns are very scathing about Gravelines ; they write :
"Les Clarisses Anglaises furent surtout preoccupees de
deux choses, de leur oeuvre du Pensionnat et des posses-
sions a acqu^rir ou a conserver, des dots a exiger, etc. . . .
Des lors, la plupart de ces ames religieuses n'habiterent
pas assez dans le ciel, et beaucoup trop sur la terre, dont
elles desiraient les biens. On voit, en effet, presque toutes
les Abbesses de Gravelines se preoccuper beaucoup du
temporel."
Be that as it may, the life was hard; the bread was
black and the beer was thin, and even their habits and
veils were changed about so that they might have nothing
of their own. In 1652 Gravelines was again besieged —
this time for sixty-nine days. Amongst these calan
Madame Tildesley remained calm and gracious, giving
thanks to God that she had been permitted to receive
ninety -two novices during her reign. She died peacefully
on the 17th of February, 1654.
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 217
The next abbess was Louisa Taylor, in religioi
; she was forty-four years old at m of
her and bad previously been novice-mistress.
Shon .lection, on the 10th of May, there was
plosion at a powder magazine in the town,
convent suffered severely, though none of the
re killed. The following naive account by a
Poor Clare is interesting : " The air became suddenly dark,
the atmosphere suffocating ; for a moment a violent noise
was heard, as if a million cannons had been let off
together Then we heard lamentable outcries, and saw
persons flying up into the air, exclaiming, 'Jesus!
Mary I Many persons were carried over the rampart*
and fortifications, snd found dead in the fields." There
were sixty nuns in the convent at the time, and their
names are given; we find amongst them Blundells,
nana, Howards, Petres, Talbot* and Vavasours— all
names which can be found also amongst the Poor Clares
of the subsequent centuries.
From the 3rd of July to the 80th of August, 1668,
Gravelines was again under siege, and all teaching was
suspended, and nuns and scholars alike gave themselves
•ay or. The poor also crowded to the convent
bread, for they were starving. The abbess worked calmly
she was revising the rule according to the con
- of St. Colette, but she had to leave in the Urbanist
lission to teach.
In 1667 Louisa Taylor died, and was succeeded by Ann
Bedingfield— in religion Mother Anne Bene ventura— who
had been twenty-seven years in the convent It fell to
soon after her election , to receive into the Order Lady
Warner and her sister-in-law Elizabeth, under rather
unusual circumstances. Lady Warner, rtie Trevor, was
brought up a Protestant, made a rich marriage, but could
find no satisfaction or content in a worldly life ; one day
she shut herself up in her boudoir and announced that
from henceforth she would see no one but her husband and
218 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
her sister-in-law. These relations agreed to live in isola-
tion with her, and they all three set to work to study
theology. In a short time they were received into the"
Catholic Church, and soon after left Great Britain, and
the two ladies presented themselves at Gravelines and
pleaded for admission. Lord John was with them, and an-
nounced his intention of joining the Jesuits ; there were
no children. Similar cases had been frequent in the life-
time of St. Francis, but were rare in the seventeenth
century ; however, it is recorded that all three of the
Warners were true to their vocation and left behind them
saintly memories.
Vocations from England were becoming fewer and
fewer, and the palmy days of Gravelines were passed ;
during the eighteenth century the convent records are
largely taken up by financial troubles.
In 1736 Helen Petre was elected abbess under the title
of Sister Mary Felix ; in 1779 she celebrated her jubilee
in religion, and in 1783 she died at the age of eighty,
"amidst the sighs and tears of her afflicted children."
She was succeeded by Mother Johnson, but Revolution
was at the doors ! As an educational establishment of
foreigners the Clarisses of Gravelines were given a permit
to remain ; but on the 29th of January, 1794, their sacristy
was depleted of all its most valuable treasures. The
Clarisses were discouraged, scholars were few, times were
troublous.
In 1795 we find the municipality of Gravelines issuing
passports to "fourteen Clarisses of this town and one
pupil, and thirty-eight Clarisses of Dunkirk, who desire
to return to their own country." In accepting these pass-
ports the Clarisses signed a declaration thanking France
for having given them shelter in time of trouble, and
saying that, as all their income came from England, and
had ceased with the interruption of correspondence
between the two countries, they felt bound during the
time the war lasted to return to their own country, with
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN f] I
the firm intention of returning "to enjoy the advantages
of the wise laws of the Fr.-rwh Republic." The abbess at
this time was a daughter of Lord George Elphinstone-
uder her guidance the nuns retired to Gosfield
■ex, where the Duchess of Buckingham gave them
■
Aft. r tu. nty years' sojourn in England, on the 2nd of
December, 1814, under the newly elected abbess, Mary
Martin, six of the Gravelinea nuns and two of the Dunkirk
nuns set sail again for France. They were settled in and
ready for pupils in 1817 ; in response to a prospectus a few
arrived— also some novices. But there was a lack of
-the old fire was not rekindled. The thirteenth and
last abbess, Margaret Cullen, was elected in 1829 ; she had
but three helpers— Sisters Latham, Page and Thomson—
Reinforcements came from Plymouth and Scorton Hall,
but their stay was abort ; the pupils dwindled away ; the
abbess was dying of cancer. Then the Ursulines of
Boulogne— those Ursulines who had given hospitality to
Mother Mary Taylor and her flock on her way to Rouen,
and who were described by the mother as "grave and
comely in their dress, and gracious in their demeanour "—
took over the charge of the convent and the care of the
g abbess and her sole companion, Sister Jane Latham.
Sadly enough we conclude this chapter in all humility by
ing, without endorsing, the words of the Clares of
Lyons —
"C'en elait fait! Cette institution, qui prit le nom de
Sainte-Claire, sans son esprit de pauvrete\ n'existait plus."
We know well that the spirit of poverty teas there .
difficulty was that it was not supreme. The poor nuns
were ever torn between the two duties of prayer and teach-
ing—between the ideal of St. Clare and the cry of their
country for Catholic teaching for its daughters. They
did a great work — Gravelinea has left its mark.
We must turn back to the foundation at Rouen, which
220 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
was made from Gravelines in 1644 by Sister Mary Francis
Taylor and fifteen nuns; the English Queen Henrietta
was at Paris, and obtained from Louis XIV the necessary
letters patent for them. In the book published by the
Kenmare Clares, there are fragments of an interesting
letter from Madame Taylor describing their numerous
adventures by wagon between Gravelines and Eouen.
" You will easily conceive what sorrowful dispositions we
were in, our hearts oppressed, tears in our eyes and wearied
with sickness and travelling. . . . The Ursulines received
us at Boulogne, and saluted us all. We were taken to
the refectory, where a good supper was prepared, and one
of the religious read aloud the life of St. Catherine. After
grace we were taken into a room for a little spiritual
recreation, and in about half-an-hour they led us into the
dormitory, where each of us had a cell. The good mother
was pleased to give me hers. There was a bed, a little
cupboard and a picture. All was so neat and clean I got
my first rest." When they got near Rouen, their
chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Gray, who had gone on ahead to
make provision for them, let them know he had found
them no place to go to. "You may conceive what reason
we had to think of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. As our
wagoners went on, they asked us where they were to stop.
God knows, we exclaimed, we know not; however, w<
bid them drive on until they would see an inn, and then
we told them to set us down." For some time they had
to dwell in a broken-down house, and it was not till
October 1652 their new monastery — "The Exile of Jesus,
Mary, Joseph " — was completed. Amongst their first
postulants was the Hon. Miss Arundel ; and Sister Ignatia
Bedingfield, daughter of an English baronet, was their
second abbess. The three Lady Westons, daughters of
the Earl of Portland, and a daughter of Sir Henry
Browne, were also professed at Rouen ; but the keenest
interest is roused by Sister Mary of the Holy Cross, an
English lady who had been educated by the Protestant
Countess of Berkshire. She was professed on the 8th of
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN »1
! 675, and her true name was never disclosed :
bably hides one of the romances of history. M<
Wiiii fard, abbess, died at Rouen in 1706 at ninety
years of age.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph" felt the first shock
of the French Revolution m 1791, when the public door
•h was boarded out. Two years later the
convent itself was attacked. The story of an eye-witness
is gi Uis event, also by the Kenrnare Clares. On
nd of October at seven in the morning the chaplain
was preparing for Mass, and nuns were all at pray*
Lr, when forty armed men entered, seized the
priest and wounded him cruelly, and shut the nuns up
in the refectory for four hours. They then took an inven-
tory of everything in the house, told the nuns they were
prisoners and must put on secular clothing. Several
women and children were also shut into the convent and
guards put at the doors. The nuns cut up the curtains
to make themselves gowns, and ministered to their fellow-
prisoners. Their greatest distress was the thought of the
Blessed Sacrament in its Tabernacle, which they could
not get at. They managed to ask some imprisoned priests
for advice, and at their suggestion one of the nuns, half
dead with fright, got through the grating into the ch
during the night and rescued the Blessed Sacrament.
They were removed to another prison, and the food
supplied was poor and scanty, and the overcrowding was
ble. 1 hey mention a Mrs. Goldie and her two
obildren, and a Mrs. Davis aa compatriots who were
i isoners. At length in January 1795 they were
set free, but told to leave the country. In little bands,
through immense hardships, they made their way to
Havre, and thence to England, where friends awaited
them. They were offered a temporary home at Hagger-
stone Castle in Yorkshire, and after ten years there they
purchased Scorton Hall, near Calterich, in Yorkshin .
where they stayed fifty years. In 1857 Mother Elizabeth
Leadbitter and thirty nuns moved to their present beauti-
222 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
ful abode, St. Clare's Abbey, about a mile outside
Darlington. The church, dedicated to the Immaculate
Conception and St. Clare, is in Gothic style, and the east
window has figures of St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Joseph,
St. Colette, St. Bonaventura and St. Elizabeth of
Hungary. Whilst they were at Kouen Mr. Petre of
Margate had given the nuns a donation of £1,500, and
asked them to pray for the conversion of England. They
then commenced to say the Litany of the Saints for
this intention after the midnight service, and through all
their changes, even during their imprisonment, they have
not failed for 150 years to offer this prayer, and they
have seen with joy the frequent conversions in England,
and the growing toleration and understanding of the
Catholic position by Protestants. In 1868 Mother Eliza-
beth Leadbetter died, and was succeeded by Mother Mary
Agnes Newsham, only child of John Newsham, and niece
of Mgr. Charles Newsham, D.D., the former President
of Ushaw College. It is interesting to note that her
grandmother, Ann Wilson, was a convert from Quakerism,
and that the Society of Friends, which flourishes so
exceedingly in Yorkshire, has given many conversions to
Rome. She ruled the abbey for twenty years, and died
on the 16th of October, 1889.
The Rev. Mother Mary Dominic Berlamonte, abbess at
Bruges from 1831 till her death in 1871, founded not only
nine convents in Belgium and one in France, but also
four in England — Baddesley, London, Manchester and
York.
Of these, the first was Our Lady of the Angels at
Baddesley-Clinton in Warwickshire. A pious girl, who
had been in the service of the Actons, became an extern
sister at Bruges ; she heard that of old the Acton family
had succoured the Poor Clares during the suppression in
Henry VIII's reign ; and she mentioned this to her late
mistress. Mr. Acton, of Wolverton Hall, became filled
with a desire to assist the return of the Clares to Eng-
land, and at the same time Bishop Ullathome of Birming-
( LARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 228
bam expressed a wish that Clares could come to the old
in convent at Baddesley, which the friars had
deserted twenty years previously. The Bishop of Bir
mingham wrote to the Bishop of Bruges, and Bishop
Malon went with i-«>niidence to Mother Mary Donm i
accepted the responsibility, and on the 82nd of
August, 1860, she herself with six choir sisters and three
rns set out for Bagland. Mgr. L' Hat home welcomed
the party, and with all doe ceremony installed the enclo-
and gave Benediction. It needed some of 8t. Clare's
courage for this community to come to a foreign country,
to come among Protestants, and to be dependent on their
neighbours for their daily bread. Their confidence was
tied, and the convent flourished; in ten years their
.hers had increased to twenty choir and five extern
sisters. After Mother Mary Dominic returned to Bel-
li first abbess wrote : " We are dependent entirely
on alms for our daily support, and by the visible blessing
od the charity of the faithful has never (ailed us.
On the contrary, all our wants have been supplied,
igk it was deemed by many impossible that we should
be sufficiently provided for, as our convent is distent from
wi sad in a Protestant country. Thanks be to the
idenoe, all these difficulties have been over-
ire are some very touching stories of the early trials of
these Poor Clares in th. Vie dels Mere Marie-Dominique."
The extern sisters taught the poor children of the neigh-
bourhood, and through the children the people got to know
about the nuns, and many were the conversions in con-
sequence. Mr. William Acton bad acted as first syndic
he nuns, and after his death Mr. Marmion Ferrers
took over the work ; until he in his turn was succeeded
by Mr. Edward Dering. The first abbess was Mother
Mary Victoria (de Seilleo), who died in the odour of
sanctity in 1865; she was followed by Mother Mary
Bernardine (Clifford) from 1865 to 1871, and then Mother
Mary Francis (Grix) was elected. It was to Mother Mary
224 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Francis that the first translation of the rule and con-
stitutions into English was due. In 1895 Mother Aloysius
(Jones) was elected abbess, and continued in office till
her death in 1901, when she was succeeded by Mother
Mary Rose Woolleth, the present abbess. The com-
munity now consists of twenty-five choir sisters and nine
lay sisters : these latter tend the mission school, which is
under Government, and numbers over one hundred
children.
In the summer of 1857 Dr. Manning visited Assisi and
prayed at the shrine of St. Clare. The inspiration came
to him to establish these sisters of penance and prayer in
restless sinful London. He went back by Bruges and
made a request for Poor Clares at the Mother House ; it
was at once complied with, and on the 29th of September,
1857, Mother Mary Dominic set out once more, taking
seven nuns with her, to form a convent in London. At
first they were lodged in a little Bayswater house ;
Cardinal Wiseman came to welcome and bless them, and
they found in their humble lodging all they desired. The
first abbess was Mother Marie- Seraphim (Van Biervliet).
Dr. Manning had bought a piece of ground at Notting
Hill for them, and there he proceeded to build a convent,
over which work he kept the closest surveillance. When
it was finished he threw it open for inspection for several
days, and hundreds of people, both Protestants and
Catholics, went to visit it. There was a square cloister
garth, another small garden with a calvary, and cells for
twenty-four choir and several extern sisters. Everything
was humble, and yet there was all that a Poor Clare could
desire. The nuns were formally enclosed there on the
13th of June, 1860. The neighbourhood took some time
to get used to them. Mr. Palmer Thomas tells us how
he, when a small boy, threw stones at the door and ran
away — for he believed that all sorts of iniquities went
on behind those closed doors ! A fervent convert and
decorated with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, he now
says with glee: "But those Clares have caught me,
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN
though I did run away, and though they never leave
Also the nearest neighbour was a
lay he called to aay his wife was ill
and annoyed by the continual chanting. The Rev.
romised that the nuns should during his wife's
m chant as softly as possible In a few days he
to my his wife was better, and missed the sound
<>f the nuns' voices! Soon she had her bed put against
the dividing wall that she might bear better. When she
was well she brought the nuns flowers and gifts, and in
ml the good God granted her faith.
r. Turner of Manchester was the next to approach
Mother Mary Dominic with a desire for the daughters of
penance and prayer to come and settle in his striving,
restless diocese. He knew how many there were in
Manchester who never prayed ; be knew how the atmo-
re of prayer seems to disperse all round a convent
and hallow the work of those without. It is recorded
many Protestants brought alms to the bishop, and
Canon Benoit his secretary, to help them to establish these
holy women in their midst ; and that after the installation
re were many conversions.
first the Clares occupied an old bouse of the
Recollet Fathers, but in 1867 they were able to buy a
piece of ground at Levenshulme and build a convent in
accordance with their rule. They took possession on the
of March, 1868. The first abbess of this foundation
was Mother Mary Dominic Tieton, and it seems \
while to state briefly that the people of Manchester came
in crowds to welcome the nuns and cheered them loudly,
that for thirteen days the nuns received visitors and
showed thnn the house and explained the rule, and then,
to take up the story in their own words : " At last the
longed-for day of enclosure arrived. At nine o'clock there
was High Mass and a beautiful sermon, during which
Father Emmanuel said to those present that he was going
to confirm the religious in their vows and enclose them
in their holy retreat, and that those who desired might
0
226 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
go with him to the convent. All, therefore, formed in
procession and followed Father Emmanuel in a last tour
of the convent ; at each room he explained the duties that
the religious would there fulfil. His assistants were
moved to tears. Having arrived at the closure door, the
emotion became general, all recommended themselves to
the prayers of the nuns and kissed their hands. Lastly
the extern sisters embraced the choir sisters. The Rev.
Father made a last exhortation, and in the name of the
Bishop of Manchester handed the keys of the door to the
abbess, who turned them with joy, and then she and her
daughters went to their choir and chanted the Te Deum."
Happy prisoners, self -incarcerated, in order to be alone
with God !
Lady Herries, wife of the eleventh Baron Hemes and
herself a Vavasour, sent the cry from York to Bruges,
and six choir sisters and two externs set out on the 4th of
August, 1865, arriving the next day. They were received
with warmth by the Catholics, and with curiosity by the
Protestants. For three days the house was left open to
visitors, and then Mgr. de Beverley installed the enclo-
sure. Their prayers brought many conversions in this
ancient home of Catholicism.
In 1872 the community had so increased they had to
move into their present Convent of St. Joseph in Lawrence
Street. There is extant a letter from the saintly Mother
Mary Dominic to her daughters at this, her last English
foundation : "You who are called to the imitation of
Christ in poverty and humility, refuse no demand of that
God who is so generous to you ; and you who are called
to be missionaries in York, give your whole heart to ful-
filling that mission by your saintly lives, your good
example, and above all by your spirit of prayer. You
know, dear children, that in our time there is little or no
esteem for the contemplative Orders; people say they
are good for nothing, and praise only the active Orders;
but for my part I say that though the active Orders are
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 227
necessary, the contemplative^ must assist the active. Oh,
dear children , pray ! never was there a time when there
was a greater necessity for \n
st abbess was Sister Mat; uena De Sm
convent at Notting Hill flourished so exceedingly
that on the 4th of November, 1880, they were able to
send seven choir sisters and two externa to L*
m, a hamlet two miles out of Hereford. The
request came from Mr. and Mrs. Bodenham of Rotherwas,
wli. .e Manor House at Bullingham for six years to
bej. toundation ; and subsequently gave the ground
on which to build the convent. The foundation was made
in id. greatest poverty, and at first the sisters bad to
iata.
pretty story of how one winter
these nuns in their lonely convent were snowed up and
t without bread. The weather waa so bad the extern
sisters could not get out to seek food, so, as in the days
of old, the nuns set themselves to prayer With extended
arms—" les bras en croix "—as they always pray to St.
incis on the 2nd of October, they prayed to him n<
and they prayed to God. And suddenly they heard snouts
about, and it was a man with a long pole, who with
great difficulty had come to them with some bread, having
bethought him that they might be foodless. The nuns
gave thanks to God, blessed the man, and ate the bread.
The present convent had to be built bit by bit, as the
sisters could afford it. The choir, outside chapel and
part of the main block were built from a legacy inherited
by one of the nuns. Later on £1,000 was left them by a
iciscan tertiary— a member of the Third Order of
St. Francis, which includes men and women living in the
world. Only a few years ago a novice was received, who
in giving up her worldly goods made arrangements for
chaplain's stipend, so that now the foundation is
complete. We are able to give some illustrations of this
convent, thanks to the courtesy of the Abbess and Sisters.
0 a
228 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
The present abbess, Mother Mary Angela Parker, who
lately kept her golden jubilee, was also the first abbess.
There are now nineteen choir sisters (including novices^
and five extern sisters. The nuns have to labour for their
support, and this they do by making altar breads and
doing church work.
The next demand for a foundation came to the mother
abbess at Notting Hill from Flora, Duchess of Norfolk,
who had had many relations in the Order in the days
of old. On the 7th of September, 1886, then, eight choir
sisters and two externs were sent to Cross Bush, Arundel,
where the young Duchess had built them a convent
entirely by her own means, even selling some of her
jewels to help forward the work. To the great grief of
many the Duchess died in April 1887 ; the Duke took up
the good work, and enlarged and supported the convent,
and has ever cared for the sisters and all their needs.
Abbess Gasquet, the first head, died in 1902, and was
succeeded by the present Mother Abbess Campbell.
There are now fifteen sisters in the enclosure.
Only last year, on the 7th of September, 1911, the Duke
of Norfolk attended the celebration of the silver jubilee
of this convent, and gave a lunch to the many noted
Catholics who assembled to congratulate the community
and attend the jubilee High Mass.
In the year 1902 Miss Imrie, a lady of Liverpool, not
less distinguished by her piety and virtue than for her
wealth, approached the late Abbess Philomena of York
with a view to establishing a contemplative Order in the
busy shipping centre, where her money had been made.
The bishop of the diocese approved, and Miss Imrie at
once secured the lease of a house at Woolton, and there
for seven years the Clares carried out their life of prayer
and penance. It was a life of poverty also, but the
Franciscan tertiaries in the different parishes gave cordial
and willing help, and several times brought gifts of pro-
visions just when the need was greatest, without having
CI OF ( f BRITAIN 229
been solicited for help. Even the barefooted little
children have been known to run after an extern sister and
offer h«r a ha'penny.
• Clares have much admired the beautiful spir
char ^fleets much
i teaching piwn. In 1906 Miss 1
Poor Clare < it Bullingham ; it was a
f to the sisters at Liverpool, jet they could not
re the courage and wisdom which made her seek
ister not of her own founding, and where personali-
rests could less distract her.
Before she entered she had made all arrangements for
resent convent at Green Lane, Wavertree— a suburb
pool — but the building is not yet complete as
regards the enclosure — the infirmary and noviciate have
■ • be added. Though plain in appearance and poor in
furniture, according to the the convent is a solid
and presents a bright aspect. It is served by the
Redemptorist Fathers, who live close by.
Perhaps the greatest blow to the Liverpool oommn
was that Miss Imrie, who made up her mind to
Bullingham whilst at Rome, felt called not to return to
take leave of the nuns who bad come to bold her in such
affection and esteem. She left them to the care of her
aunt, Miss Blackley, who is still their mother syi
and who has helped her niece conscientiously in the dis-
pensation of her enormous fortune. The new Franciscan
church in Fox Street, Liverpool, is also doe to Miss
Imrie's munificence.
There are at present twelve choir sisters, one novice
and one po ind six extern sisters at Liverpool.
little community has been much blessed, and would
perhaps have been too prosperous without its one cross of
losing Miss Imrie, now professed as Sister Clare.
The rule is that of the Poor Clare-Colettines.
In 1885 the convent of Poor Clares at Rennes was
founded from the celebrated monastery of L'Ave-Maria.
230 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
In 1904 these Poor Clares of the First Rule were exiled
from France and found a temporary refuge with the
Franciscan nuns at Woodchester. A convent priest heard
of their homeless position and offered to build them a
convent at Lynton in Devon. The Bishop of Plymouth
agreed and offered his aid ; the founder spent £10,000
on land and buildings, and on the 19th of March, 1910,
the nuns moved into the present beautiful convent.
The building is on the side of a hill, and is so arranged
that the first floor extends only along the south front, and
gives cells and work-rooms for five extern sisters, and a
parlour with grille. Upstairs, with a level entrance to
the convent garden and cloister, are fifteen cells for the
choir nuns, a noviciate, and infirmary, and all the usual
offices. The church is dedicated to the Most Holy
Saviour, and is the church of the mission. It is most
beautifully furnished with treasures from Italy.
Away back in the fifteenth century, the Blessed Fran-
coise d'Amboise, Duchess of Brittany, brought six Poor
Clare-Colettines to Nantes, and installed them in an old
family mansion in the town. The first abbess was Guille-
mette Joguete. At the time of the French Revolution
the nuns had to fly for their lives, and suffered grievous
perils. Their convent was entirely destroyed. In 1857
the Count and Countess of Pemodan invited some of the
Clares of Marseilles to come to Nantes and make a founda-
tion there. This was accomplished in 1859, with Mother
Mary de St. Clare as abbess, who reigned in peace till her
death in 1899. Mother St. Louis de Gonzaga was
elected in her place, and soon had to face the difficulties
of the modern suppression. She had amongst her nuns
an English lady, Sister Mary of the Incarnation, who
had entered the convent at Nantes in 1868, and with her
aid it was decided to form an English foundation to be
a refuge from the coming storm. In August 1904 the
Row Mothor and eleven sisters landed on these shores
and proceeded to Bagshot. No one who has not had
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN M
personal knowledge of the difficulties of the poor religious
i!ed, can understand the trials these end other
• going through. A those who have
I in the cloister can understand the difficulties of
ming different nationalities, and bow severely a nun
can suffer from nostalgia. In the autumn of 1911 this
little community found a permanent home and a welcome
I .uttbbwobth in Leicestershire— the very haunt of
Wycliffe I At the same time the last of their sisters were
lied from Nantes and fled to Grugliasoo, near Turin
For the sake of following that religious life that is the
Poor Clare's richest treasure, they have given up their
• and country; and the prayers of all Catholics, the
sympathy of all Protestants is asked on their behalf.
Scotland.
Scotland has, at present, only one convent of Poor
Clares, that at Liberton near Edinburgh. The founda-
tion took place on the 23rd of July, 1895, from Baddesley-
Clinton ; the Rev. Mother Bernardino (Clifford) being the
first abbess, and having with her at first only one sister.
Archbishop Macdonald welcomed the Clares and helped
them to select a suitable site. In the following September
inters, one extern sister, snd s postulant
I tli< in, and for two years this little band liv.
a small house and strictly kept the rule of the Clare-
Colettines. In one particular for the first three months
had to relax the rule— they had to go to a neigh-
bouring convent for Mass, as the archbishop could not
provide them with a priest ; but they rose every night to
chant Matins and fasted continuously. After the first
few months a Belgian priest was found to come and
minister to them, and he remained their chaplain for
seven years.
They entered their new convent (two wings only of
282 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
which are built) on the 26th of May, 1897. When
finished the building is to be quadrangular in form, three
sides providing cells and offices for thirty nuns, whilst
the fourth side will be formed by the church. The style
is Gothic, and the material the white stone of Dum-
barton : it will be a beautiful building when Scotland
has aroused herself to complete it, and to appreciate this
temple of prayer in their midst. On the 18th of March,
1910, Mother Bernardine Clifford died in the seventy-
ninth year of her age, and the fifty-fourth year in religion.
Another nun who came from Baddesley died at Edinburgh
aged seventy-seven, having been in religion sixty years.
The present abbess is Mother Gabriel, and there are eight
professed sisters and two postulants in the enclosure ; and
four extern sisters in the entrance block.
It is always worth while to remind the Presbyterian
Scot, that William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were
both of the Catholic faith; they are so apt to let their
studies into the religious history of their country begin
and end with Knox.
Ireland.
According to Wadding there were five convents of
Poor Clares in Ireland in 1541, but there are no annals of
them remaining.
In the year 1625 six religious left Gravelines to restore
the Order in Ireland— their native country. They were
Sisters Mary Joseph and Cicely Francis, daughters of
Viscount Dillon; Sister Mary Power and Sister Mary
Eustace, belonging to well-known Dublin families; Sister
Mary Magdalene Nugent of Meath, and lastly Sister
Martha Marianna, whose secular name and habitation
were kept secret, and who is another convent mystery.
They were at first resident in Ship Street, Dublin, but
were brought before the Lord-Deputy and commanded to
CLAIMS OF GREAT BRITAIN i»:w
leave - . It issaid tl fry oi the abbess
so impressed the Lord-Deputy, Viscount Falkland, that
seeing the religious were barefoot, be insisted on sending
them back in his carriage. Sir Luke Dillon, broth*
the abbess, gave the nuns temporary shelu r until he had
built them a convent in a lonely spot six miles from At It-
ch they gave the name of Bethlehem. Six
•es had already joined them in Dublin, and others
now came in, so that in a few years their number bad
ased to sixty. In spite of the secluded and boggy
of their retreat, they bad many distinguished
visitors, including the Duchess of Buckingham, and Lady
Wen >w of the unfortunate Strafford.
annalist says: "They were meanly apparelled,
fed with the coarsest food and employed in the most servile
offices (from which none would plead exemption), such as
drawing turf and wood, brewing, baking, and serving in
the 1. icy prayed continually ; their silence was
I that ii <-enied midnight; they observed all
things as ordain- be First Rule of St. Clan . with
the strict statutes of the Blessed Colette."
In 1*>!1. f<»r fear of wars and alarms, the abbess (a
daughter of Sir Edmund Tuite) gave orders for perpetual
adoration. But the danger came nearer, and at the last
the nuns bad to fly so suddenly that they left all behind
DO . The soldiers utterly destroyed the convent by fire.
The community had to separate and seek shelter in private
families. Mother Martha Marian na, who had been
vicareas at Bethlehem, took several sisters to her native
\ford, where together they kept the rule till
after two years the saintly Mother Martha died. Some
also formed a community at Galway. Other of the
Athlone nuns fled to Spain, where practically the only
record 1* ft is, in many cases, that of their death. One
of these exiles, Sister Catherine Bernard Browne, died in
the odour of sanctity, and miracles took place at her tomb
in Madrid. She also sent over a chronicle to the Clares
234 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
who had sheltered in Galway, in the course of which she
says : " There remain many of these dispersed nuns still
alive (as well in the aforesaid convents as in other
places) who are held in good estimation, of whom I will
say nothing, as before death none is to be praised. I
inhabited many years in the convent of Bethlehem, and
after the destroying thereof in the convent of Galway.
I did also verify that during my banishment here in Spain ,
I had seen several convents, in some of which I lodged
several nights, and heard true relations of many, and
withal had dwelt many years in one of the most renowned ;
but in none is greater austerity than in the Irish convents."
Sister Julian Anthony Blake, another of the Irish nuns,
died in the Royal Convent at Orduna, Spain, and of her
it is told that though she knew but little of the Spanish
language, she could always speak it fluently when she
wanted to confess. She begged her sisters to bring their
Irish harp and sing the Te Deum for her when she lay
a-dying, so glad was she to leave this troublous world.
Then calling out : " I believe ! I believe 1 Deo Gratia ! "
she passed peacefully away.
Those of the Bethlehem nuns who fled to Galway have
a special interest for us, for there is a link between them
and the present. Also notes from their annals have been
published in the little pamphlet : The Poor Clares in
Ireland, issued by the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland.
The first official information with regard to this com-
munity is an entry in the Corporation Book of Galway
under date 1649 —
"That your petitioners members of this Corporation,
did some years sithence forsake the world for to serve the
Almighty, and what through the distempers of the times,
and through God's Holy Will, have suffered great afflic-
tion these seven years past, and in their necessity as
bound by nature, repaired to this towne ; shewing further
that, through necessity, by reason of the times their
parents and friends are unable to furnish their wants as
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 235
in peaceable times they were intended ; and that your poor
ra doe suffer muche by the exorbitant rent they
pay, and, notwithstanding t! payment, are to be
if dwelling next May, their lease being
thfii ended; the premises considered, and taken to j
consi tli.- inconvenience of religious women who
want habitation , the convenience of their residence in this
place, the preferment of young children though poor shall
be relieved, by God's assistance, in our convent, the ever-
lasting prayers to be made for you, the glory of Qod, the
preservation of the town by your petitioners, and their
fssors, their intercessions, the honour of Gall way, to
such a monasterie ; the petitioners humbly pray
i may be pleased to grant them sufficient roome
for building a monasterie and rooms convenient thereon to,
a garden and orchard in the next island adjoyning to the
bridge of Ulan Altenagh ; and for that your petitioners is
bofldmg will be rather a strength than any annoyance,
! ranee or impeachment, either to the highway leading
to the other island, or to the safety and preservation of
Corporation ; a Inch granted they will ever pray, &c.
"Sister Mary Bonavbntura,
" Unworthic Abbesse."
This petition was granted and a handsome convent
erected, but in 1652, after only two or three years'
residence, Galway surrendered to the enemy and the nuns
were dispersed; as we have already seen, many fled to
Spain. A few nuns after several years returned one by
one to Galway and lived secretly in a bouse in Market
t, till in 1712 an order was issued to the Mayor to
"suppress the convents in Galway," and the nuns once
more fled. In the meanwhile their island on which they
had built their convent and to which they had made a
road, had been granted by Charles II to Lady Hamilton
and Colonel Fitz pa trick. Sister Elizabeth Sherrett went
to London at some unknown fete " about this affair," and
'
236 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the result was that Lady Hamilton probably gave the
Clares back the island. Certainly in 1736 Lady Hamilton,
who held a place at Court, secured for the Poor Clares
three acres of ground on their island, which had been
vested in the Crown. Not until 1825, however, did they
manage to get a new convent and chapel built and return
there to community life of a sort.
But quite lately, under their last abbess, Mother Joseph
Hyland, they got back their grilles again and returned to
the strict observance of the contemplative life. It was a
time of great rejoicing ; so many of the Poor Clares in
Ireland are active — have schools and so on, and are,
therefore, unable to observe the First Eule in its purity.
Even on Nuns' Island, Gal way, the nuns are not allowed
to live on alms, and therefore have to have possessions.
The most perfect poverty is not theirs yet. But it is a
beautiful thought that there on ground hallowed by so
long association with the name of St. Clare, the sisters
now practise all the other austerities of her rule — wear
the coarse brown habit, go barefoot, rise at midnight for
the office and fast continually. There the daily routine
and the self -same prayers link them with the other Clares
all over the world. Ireland is coming into her own again.
There are at present about eighteen choir and four
extern sisters at Galway ; the abbess is Mother Teresa
Tierney. The Franciscan Friars serve the convent, and
there is daily adoration.
From Athlone a foundation was made at Drogheda in
1633, but after only a few years of splendid prosperity
persecution set in. In 1641 the nuns were warned of
approaching danger, and they put a picture in the choir
of St. Clare repelling the Saracens, and set themselves
to prayer. When the attacking army finally came, the
nuns just had time to escape across the lake in a boat.
The town was destroyed and the people massacred. The
sisters were dispersed, and for many years of fiery trial
were ever flying from one place to another. But when
CLARES OF GREAT BRITAIN 237
Meats of rebellion gave place to the chill hopelessness
romwell's iron grip, the poor nuns had to fly the
and take refuge in Spain. The annals of their
troubles as told in the book issued by the Ken mare nuns
in 1864, is rather incorrect as regards dates and places.
In the year 1712, when the Battle of the Boyne was
sinking into the past and there was a comparative calm
in Ireland, some of the dispersed Clares secretly returned
to Dublin and tried to form a community in Channel
Row. "On the morning of the 7th of September,
just as Mass had concluded, some officers entered tin
house and surprised several nuns in their habits. The
abbess was not appwhcuded, as xlu- won- ovular gSjfl>,
but three of the sisters in their religious dress were taken
before the court, and only released when a Mr. Lynch, s
relative of the abbess, went bail for them. The house was
searched and all their books and papers take
A similar incident occurred on the 14th of June, 1718,
the magistrates doing no more than question and threaten,
being apparently anxious to deal leniently with the nuns,
twenty years the nuns had to live in secular
dress, observing only so much of the rule as was com-
patible with the government of the English.
In the year 1743, however, the Rev. Father Murphy,
a noted Jesuit, gave a retreat to the nuns and tried to stir
them up to stricter observance; eight choir sisters, a
v and a postulant answered to his call, and by
arrangement with Archbishop Lanigan moved into a house
in Russell's Court and resumed a stricter observance
of tli They struggled on for fifty years, feeling the
poverty and disturbed state of the country even in their
cloister, and in 1804 were obliged to relax the rule, at the
request of Archbishop Troy, to undertake the charge of
an orphanage. Pope Pius VII granted the necessary
rescripts, and a brief requiring the sisters to make a
fourth vow of devotion to the education of poor female
children. A new convent was built in 1804 for the nuns
288 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
at Harold's Cross, Dublin, and in 1817, owing to quieter
times and tempers of the populace, the nuns at last
resumed the habit. These Clares still have the care of
some sixty or seventy orphan girls, and so have to follow
a modified rule. The abbess is Mrs. O'Loughlin and the
nuns number eleven.
A foundation at Newey, in the North of Ireland, was
successfully commenced in 1830 ; but the nuns were well
on the boundary line, and in a political riot in 1833 had
all their windows broken. Still they persevered and pros-
pered , and followed the Urbanist rule strictly ; at the
present time the community numbers about twenty-four.
From Newry there were two foundations ; one at Cavan
and the other at Kenmare near Killarney.
At Aemagh there is a teaching community of Poor
Clares with a school for 230 pupils. It was founded in
1871, and has been very prosperous, the number of sisters
now being twenty-three.
The convent of the Holy Cross, Kenmaee, was built
by Archdeacon O 'Sullivan and founded by Mother Mary
Michael O'Hagan and six sisters from Newry in 1861.
The convent is a beautiful building in a lovely setting,
and is used as a school ; the nuns also make lace of noted
beauty. Mrs. Catherine Dugdale is the present abbess,
and there are about twenty sisters. It is very difficult
to " place " these active Orders in Ireland that go by
the name of Poor Clares : it makes it difficult for the out-
sider to understand the differences between the different
rules : one naturally expects to find the same rule under
the same name.
St. Joseph's Abbey, Cavan, was the second foundation
from Newry, and also follows the Urbanist rule. The
community numbers about twenty-seven, and the abbess
is Mrs. Mary Patrick Donelly.
At Ballyjamesddff there is an Urbanist community
with school for two hundred children attached and classes
for lace-making. The sisters number fifteen.
I
CLARES OF GREAT BKITAIN 239
t Poor Clares of the Colettnu rule were in
duced into Ireland at Cablow from Manchester in the
year 180*2. Mother Mary Seraphim Bowe and six sisters
went over and were installed in a small house, and
buffered great privations for many years until about eleven
years since, when they moved into their present convent
>sure was formally established. The building is
strictly in o y with the rule of poverty, but
chapel is a pretty little building which was solemnly
blessed 1 whop of Kildare, in 1902, and
is constantly adoration. In 1906 the con
had 6o flourished it was able to make a foundation at
Donny brook. In August 1907 the centenary of the
canonization of St. Colette was celebrated in the little
chapel in a beautiful manner.
Mother Mary Seraphim is still abbess, and there are
now eighteen choir sisters, including novices.
I years ago the Carlow community sent Mother Mary
e Stead and eight sisters to make a foundation
at Donnybrook, near Dublin, at the invitation of Mrs.
low of Mr. James M'Cann, M.P., who aim-
gave his daughter (a Poor Clare) the house and
gwUDOJ necessary. One of the first novices at St.
Dam ion's convent, Donnybrook, was Mrs. Fitzgerald,
•w of Major Fitzgerald of Monkstown, who was
received by Mgr. Fitzpatrick at an impressive ceremony
tin late l'r. Gallway, 8.J., preached.
hi giving up her wealth Sister Mary Clare (Mrs. I
Id) arranged for the building of the present con
whan there are now seventeen choir sisters, including
es. This makes two convents of Clare-Colettines in
tad; one contemplative Urbanist convent; and six
communities that lead the active life : a total of nine.
CHAPTER X
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
The first foundations of Poor Clares in the United
States were failures : attempts were made to pander to
the utilitarian wishes of a new country : the rule was
relaxed, the nuns taught or took boarders, and the primi-
tive severity and simplicity of the life was lost. And with
it all vigour was lost, and the foundations dwindled and
died away. The Lyons sisters write very severely about
these early defalcations : " Faire une f ondation contraire
a la profession qu'on a faite de la Regie seraphique,
approuvee par l'Eglise, approuvee par Dieu meme, c'est
evidemment batir sans le concours de Dieu, c'est meme
travailler contre sa volonte, c'est eloigner la source de ses
benedictions."
In 1792 some of the Poor Clares driven from France by
the Revolution took refuge in Maryland, and in 1801 they
purchased a lot in Lafayette Street, Georgetown, and
opened a school there. Their abbess, Madame Marie de
la Marche, died shortly afterwards, and, dispirited and
sad, her daughters in 1805 sold their school and returned
to Europe.
In 1826 a batch of Belgian Poor Clares went out to
Cincinnatti at the invitation of the bishop of that town.
The bishop said that, in view of the extreme need of
Catholic teachers in America, he would dispense them
from certain parts of their rule, and he put them in
charge of a flourishing school. When the news came to
the Abbess Marie-Dominique at Bruges she said : " Their
prosperity will not last, for it is not in accord with our*
holy rule. God cannot wish our rule to be thus muti-
240
THE IAN ID STATES AND CANADA 241
lated, and He will not bless their work." Surely enough,
Is and tempests and inundations beat upon their house
ruined it ; and in four years, instead of being in
prosperity , the sisters were so poor that they lacked even
daily bread. In 1890 they returned, broken and penitent,
to Bruges.
1875 Sister Maria Maddalena and Sister Maria
Costanza left their convent of San Lorenzo in Rome, and,
by the advice of Pio Nono and the Franciscan Minister-
General, sailed for America. They were of noble birth,
both daughters of Count Bentivoglio of Bologna, and had
been educated at the celebrated Convent of the Sacred
Heart on the Monti de TnniU at Rome. They had been
eleven years in religion, and had gone through the troublous
times of revolution at the suppressions of 1870. Nor
were their trials over when they reached the New World ;
had so far been under the escort of Mother Mary
Ignatius Hayes, tertiary of Mill Hill, whose desire wss to
establish the Poor Clares st Belle Prairie, Minnesota
on arrival at New York, for some unexplained reason, the
two Poor Clares refused to go on to Belle Prairie, and
placed themselves on the hospitality of the different
Orders in the city. In their own account of this episode
the two nuns throw the responsibility on Fra Paolino,
t spiritual adviser, who had accompanied them from
Rome, and merely say, "Poor Mother Ignatius felt the
refusal very much " t The two sisters called on the Arch-
bishop of New York ; he told them be could not admit
: to his diocese, as he did not consider their Order in
keeping with the spirit of the age or with the trend of the
1 of the American people. This was in June, eight
months after they had landed on American soil ; and the
>i«hop did not fa uke them for having loitered
so long. That they were Italians in a strange city is 1 1
good excuse, but doubtless they deserved some rebuke for
having failed the lady who had brought them so far. Two
or three times the nuns got themselves installed in some
242 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
small house, and they even managed to attract two
postulants, but ever the ecclesiastical authorities bade
them move on.
In the December of 1877 they were at Broadway, Cleve-
land, Ohio, when the Bishop of Cleveland sent to join
them five German sisters from Dusseldorf . " We found
it impossible to accustom ourselves to their German
ways," write the two Italians, and so once more they
moved on. They roamed about collecting funds, and
finally, with the help of Mr. John A. Creighton, they, in
1878, settled in Omaha — at first only in a little wooden
cottage. Here one of their novices, Sister Mary Clare
(Miss Elizabeth Bailey, of London), died. In 1880 Mr.
Creighton proposed to build a monastery for the sisters ;
the bishop rejected the first designs as too grand for an
Order vowed to poverty ; simpler plans were prepared ,
but when the monastery was half built it was demolished
by a cyclone. A more simple building still was com-
menced, and at last, on the 5th of July, 1882, the two
nuns and their novices and postulants entered canonical
enclosure, and "we commenced to observe fully the strict
rule of our holy mother St. Clare."
The following are some few notes on the history of
Omaha Monastery since the publication of the Princess of
Poverty, supplied by the abbess —
"Our beloved foundress, Bev. Mother Constance of
Jesus, Bentivoglio, passed from her earthly exile the 29th
of January, 1902; she slept calmly and peacefully in the
Lord on this day, just after the August Sacrifice had been
offered, and as the last words of the General Absolution
granted at the hour of death to the members of the
Seraphic Order were pronounced by Rev. W. Kuhlman,
S.J., surrounded by the entire community. She laboured
courageously in the accomplishment of her mission, and
was supported amid the countless difficulties that attend
such an arduous undertaking by an unwavering trust in
Divine Providence. The corner-stone of the chapel of our
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA iua
building was laid the 1st of January, 1903 ; a number
of ili tmguished fathers were present, and the ceremony
was performed by the Bight Rev. Richard Scannell, D.D.,
Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska. There is quite a little his-
connected with the corner-stone, or rather with the
stone that is enclosed in the corner-stone : this stone was
a gift from Count Bentivoglio to his sisters and our beloved
dresses, and it was blessed by Pope Leo XII
•y memory, m the month of October 1879; this we
v prized, and were most happy to have it in our pos-
session for the occasion of the above-named ceren
The dedication of our new monastery took place the
»04. The building expenses were paid by
John A. C reign ton, our principal benefactor
was Count Creigbton s custom to attend our ceremonies
option and profession, and the last one at which he
was present was the 18th of November , 1906. In the month
cbruary 1907 our kind, good benefactor was called
to his rewar i came to us at midnight, while we
reciting ili 1 >ivine Office, that he was sinking raj
We had the Blessed Sacrament exposed, and continued
praying for him until the end came, which was about
1.30 a.m. Exposition was then closed, and we made the
way of the Cross for him, and in the morning had a
solemn Requiem Mass said for the repose of his soul. Our
extern sisters visited him, and a number of Jesuit fathers
Mad Franciscan sisters were present, together with other
Is who were also objects of his kindness and cha
As he valued prayer very highly, it was our custom during
me to offer Holy Communion and assist at Holy
Mass for him on every Wednesday. We now oont
for tho repose of his soul , i The 8th
of May, 1909, a new wing, mortuary vaults and enclosure
wall were completed, costing $50,000. This was paid for
by a bequest of Count John A. Creigbton. The 21st of
September, 1910, Cardinal Vannutelli and his suite,
accompanied by our Right Rev. Bishop Scannell and
r a
244 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Mgr. Colaneri, visited the monastery and entered the
enclosure, where we were having exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament. The sisters led the way to the choir, chanting
the Benedicta Benedictus. After spending some moments
in adoration, the Cardinal proceeded to the library, where
he was seated, and each sister kissed his ring and received
his blessing. As time was pressing he could not remain
long. He spoke a few words in French to us, saying :
' That he came to this country to have the Blessed Sacra-
ment adored, and here we made him adore it.' He also
wrote his signature in our Visitors' Book, adding the
following : ' That he was most happy to visit this holy
asylum' (in French). The 4th of March, 1911, the
remains of our dear Mother M. Constance, and Sister
Mary Clare, who was the first professed sister, and who
died the 21st of January, 1879, were removed from the Holy
Sepulchre cemetery and placed in our mortuary vaults.
Rev. M. Bronsgest, S.J., who had been chaplain during
the lifetime of our dear Mother M. Constance, and for
whom she had great esteem, was present and officiated.
Their bodies were solemnly interred. The sight of the
coffins was a source of sorrow to the sisters who knew
the departed sister, and the good mother to whom they
owed so much ; but it was also a great happiness to lay
them to rest in the shadow of the tabernacle, so near the
Blessed Sacrament, which they both loved so tenderly.
As the tombs were not then sealed, after a few days the
sisters assembled in the vaults and opened the coffins to
pay a last tribute of love. Sister Mary Clare had been
buried in an iron coffin, and her habit and beads were
perfectly preserved. Her bones were quite white, but
after coming in contact with the air they soon turned
dark and fell to dust. Rev. Mother M. Constance's face
and body were quite solid (the undertaker thought they
were turning into stone), but the habit and head-covering
had decayed, as she was only buried in a wooden coffin.
Some months before, her grave had been opened, and it
Till: IAITI I) STATES AND CANADA
was deoid. d it would be better to wait a while before
The glass was broken, and the clay
on her face. The sisters now removed it, and
clothed her anew in a habit, head-cover and veil
face looked so peaceful, and it seemed to say that at last,
•Her all the sorrow and labour it had cost to found the
house, it was completed, and now many souls could spend
days here in peace and contentment. It was only
necessary to put a veil and head-cover on our dear Sifter
Mary Clare. Altogether the ceremony was most impres-
a sight which we shall never forget. We then
remains with holy water, prayed over them
for some time, snd replaced them in the vaults. After
some days the tombs were sealed.
"Wo now have thirty-two sisters in the commun
four of these are extern sisters. Our time is divided
between prayer and work ■■>■( duty being the recita-
;ie Office. We spend about six hours of
! tv in manual labour, snd our work is done in com-
munity It consists in our own housework, making our
clothing, and we supply two hundred churches snd two
colleges with altar breads. This is rather difficult, as so
many people receive daily Communion, and the demand is
•asing. We retire at 8 ■*• for Matins at
:. h lasts for almost two boors, including
of meditation, then we return to our cells and rise at 5 a.m.
prayer is spent in adoration, vocal prayers,
We have exposition of
Use most Blessed Sacrament every morning and all day on
Sundays, and on feast-days throughout the year, also
during Matins at midnight snd the Holy Hour. Du
uonths of May and October we have exposition I
em and recite the fifteen decades of toe rosary. It is
surprising how many good Catholics have such false ideas
about our life : the above are a few simple truths concern-
ing it. As to other details, such as penances, etc., we
deem it more prudent to leave these for the eyes of God.
246 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
We would rather speak to the world of God's love and
mercy and the sweetness of prayer."
The Archbishop of New Orleans in 1885 wrote to the
Poor Clares of Omaha that two ladies in his city were
anxious for an establishment of the Poor Clares there, and
were willing to help : he was willing to welcome them.
Mother Maddalena and Sister Mary Francis Moran and
Sister Mary Colette Murphy therefore repaired to New
Orleans, where the Benedictine sisters gave them tem-
porary hospitality. They took a house in Magazine Street,
and here for a while the two sisters lived, till at last, in
1891, a new monastery was opened and another risfe t
from Omaha came to join them. Sister Mary Francis was
appointed abbess and several vocations were granted, and
the convent, though small, is progressing well.
In the autumn of 1911 a foundation was made from this
convent to Canada; but it is too early yet to give par-
ticulars of this new settlement. Mother Mary Francis
Moran has been abbess for nearly twenty-seven years.
There are three choir sisters, three novices and two pos-
tulants. There are four extern sisters. They follow the
primitive rule of St. Clare.
Sister Mary St. Clare Bretmann of Evansville, Ind.,
a nun at Omaha, came in for a small inheritance, and
wished to devote it to starting a convent of Poor Clares
in her native city. The consent of the bishop and
minister-general were obtained, and Sister Mary St.
Clare and Sister Mary Charitas Burns went to Evansville
and secured a piece of land in Kentucky Avenue, and
building was commenced. In the summer of 1897 they
were joined by seven more sisters from Omaha, and the
canonical enclosure was commenced. The convents of
Omaha and Evansville are under the direct supervision of
the Brothers Minor, and there is canonical visitation once
a year. The chapel at Evansville is a handsome Gothic
structure, and the convent is flourishing in numbers, but
not yet clear of debt.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA Ml
The present abbess is Mother Francis Farrelly, a r
«f the Bishop of ra are twenty-one
. five novices, two postulants in th. . i ; and
ii, four sistors. three novices and one postulant.
Tli- llul. followed at Omaha and these two daughter
I Clare.
A foundation at 38 Bennett Street, Boston, wss made
from l.v.insvill.- in 1906, and has proved very successful.
abbess is Mother M. Charitas Burns, and there are
\e choir nuns, one novice and five postulants; also
two extern sisters and three postulants. The convent is
unfortunately down in the business part of the town, snd
has very little garden.
will be remembered how, in 1877, the two Italian
and their novices left Cleveland because of the
arrival of five German Clares from Dusseldorf. The
Dusst'ldorf nuns are Colettines, snd very strut In the
November of 1878 they were joined by two more Clares
from Holland : several vocations were also granted them.
The result was that they hsd to seek a larger building,
and they moved to a bouse in Perry Street in 1881 : the
com i then numbered nine professed staters, two
novices and two postulants. Before the sisters took pos-
session of their new convent they had much sickness,
probably due to their cramped quarters, snd slso possibly
due to their occasional extreme poverty —for the Americans
had not quite grasped the sisters' needs for daily alma at
uno. Only by the death of two sisters from typhoid
was their distress made known in September 1881, and
since then measures have been taken to secure th
few wants. In spin of the new convent and all the alms
they needed, sickness still continued. In the Lenten
season of 1889 nearly all the sisters were ill, and the
ieiin in attendance prohibited the oil which the
sisters used for cooking in Lent, uh.n they forgo but
eggs and milk. It is far from our desire to throw any
glam i the cloister, and th. n fore we quote the
248 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
following story as to the mortifications in regard to food
that were practised at Cleveland : " It sometimes happened
that cereals which had been donated were so full of little
worms that the cook could not remove them all, no matter
how hard she tried. Then Mother Veronica, in her win-
ning way, would invite the sisters, 'Now we must close
our eyes and open our mouths, and we shall notice
nothing. But you need not eat it if you have not the
courage.' " And it is as well to remember, from the
detached point of view, that high game and maggoty
cheeses are in some households regarded as luxuries. The
convent at Perry Street had already been surrounded by
many buildings, and the site was crowded and noisy and
the convent overlooked. Also, though the foundation was
made at Chicago about this time, the number of novices
and sisters was steadily increasing, and more room was
necessary. So the mother abbess managed to secure a
site in West Park, a suburb of Cleveland, and there the
nuns moved some six years ago, and there they now serve
God. Their present number (1st of January, 1912) is
twenty-one choir sisters and six novices ; six extern sisters
and one postulant. Their abbesses have been Mother
Mary Veronica (foundress), Mother M. Josepha, and at
present Mother M. Theresa.
In the year 1893 — the year of the World's Fair — Mother
Mary Veronica, four choir sisters, two extern sisters and
a novice went to Chicago to found a monastery of Poor
Clares at Laflin Street in this town, known as "the
modern Sodom." Friar Kilian had been the moving spirit
in inviting the Poor Clares, and Mother Veronica's loving
and sympathetic heart longed to have a centre of repara-
tion there in the midst of the wealth and the wickedness.
The convent was in one of the new streets — all mud and
poor wooden side-walks — and so little was the neighbour-
hood or their advent known that whole bundles of letters
went astray. Yet in a short time the one wing of the new
monastery was filled by fervent novices and postulants,
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA !
and it became necessary to complete the whole plan. It
so happened that building materials were cheap, owing to
k-up of the World'B Fair. But the hardships
it tii. re was no proper warming system — the
light was intense En tiuth the poverty enjoined
by the saintly Moth, r Mary Veronica seems to have been
excessive . bflf i»r u tical powers were not so perfect as her
itual skill.
I K flower called in Chicago— Sister M. Clare
— died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1900; in 1908 Sister
M. Antonie, who had only been professed a little over two
years, also died. And in 1906 came the greatest loss—
the death of the Mother Mary Veronica, who had been
thnt\ -six years in religion and was sixty years of age.
ere is a beautiful book, A Cloistered Life, published
tie Catholic Company at Cleveland and written by the
Poor Clares, which tells the whole story of Mother Mary
iniireas of the Poor Clare-Colet tines in the
I Hited States. She was born at Oldenburg, Germany,
of illustrious family, and dropped her family name and
to become a Poor Clare at Dusscldorf. She was sent
to America under obedience in the position of abbess, but
she never f. It banal! ntj fitted for ruling; her sweetness
was greater than her strength, and in those early days
that little band of German sisters had much to pi.
with. The externa could only speak German, and could
make themselves understood when out begging, and
they were often insulted, and not infrequently lost I
way. On tl on their beloved abbess would insist
on taking off their mud-encased boots and bathing their
sore feet with her own hands. After some years Mother
Mary Veronica was, at her earnest request, relieved of the
office of abbess at Cleveland, and allowed more time for
prayer— and also for arranging for the Chicago convent.
She compiled a special Office of Reparation to be said on
first Fridays at Chicago, and she also compiled a Customs
Book. There are some very pretty stories of her humility
250 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
and tenderness : how she insisted on kneeling to the
young abbess, Mother Theresa, at Cleveland; how she
wandered about in the bitter cold at night putting extra
coverings on the sick and delicate. Pretty, too, is the
story of how she insisted on tramps being relieved at
Chicago, and of how a "professor " of modelling managed
to get from her an order for materials and then dis-
appeared. Her goodness of heart and her deep piety
endeared her to all ; and though she suffered much from
spiritual tribulations she was always bright and loving
with her sisters. One little story we will take from A
Cloistered Life: "In 1898 Mother Theresa at Cleveland
was attacked by throat trouble, and wrote to tell Mother
Veronica at Chicago that she was unable to use her voice,
and begged her to return to her old community for a time.
With permission of the Most Rev. Archbishop, Mother
Veronica started for Cleveland with an extern sister.
With mingled feelings of deep emotion she found herself
once more in the little chapel, the preparation of which
had once been to her so dear a labour of love, and where
she had received so many graces. How the good extern
sisters rejoiced to have their dear mother with them again I
They would not let her leave them until they had prepared
food for her — but after she had eaten they could keep her
no longer, for Mother Theresa and all the community were
waiting at the enclosure door to receive her with due
solemnity. As soon as the door opened Mother Veronica
knelt down to ask the blessing of her former spiritual
daughter, while Mother Theresa also knelt to beg that of
her mother. At first neither would yield, but finally they
agreed each to bless the other, for both needed the blessing
of God. A line of march was formed, and the Rev.
Mother was led to the choir during the singing of the
Magnificat. After a few moments of prayer she was
conducted to a seat of honour in the parlour, and addresses
and poems of welcome in German and English were
recited. On the morning after her arrival, when the bell
THK UNITED STATES AND CANADA 251
work, she was the first to make her appearance
in th< I ady to clean the vegetables for dim
If, as head of an i n, Mother Veronica showed
b, she showed none as spiritual bead of a
community. She could be very stern with a peevish
e, very downright with a self-satisfied postulant.
She had no hesitation in dismissing unsatisfactory can-
I for the cloister was very high. She
never allowed her own worldly name and rank to be
mentioned, nor that of any of the sisters— her personal
lity was extreme, and her detachment from the
he knew well how to maintain the dignity
be glorious Order to which she belonged.
Mother Mary Veronica is buried within the cloister at
cago ; her works live after her.
Mother Mary Josephs died in 1906, snd was succeeded
tie present abbess. Mother Coletta (Gardiner), one of
those who first came from Cleveland to Chicago.
There are twenty-three choir sisters, two novices, three
postulants snd st rn sisters now in residence.
Canada.
After the establishment of the Poor Clares st Lourdes
76 vocations were numerous, and there came to the
convent the cry from New France to establish the < I
of Poor Clares in Canada. Several young ladies in Canada
were drawn towards the rule of the Virgin of Assisi and
pons of the habit; but the negotiations went slowly,
and in July 1898 five of these demoiselles set sail from
New York to seek the cloister in Old France. One of these
girls, to whom a rich marriage was offered, wrote in
departing: "O mon Jesus, alore meme qu'un prince
m'offrerait un paradis terrestre, e'est a vous 4U6 je dsasa
mes etern* lKs pretstances. Avec votre pauvrete, vos
humiliations, votre couronne d'epines et votre croix, vous
252 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
serez toujours mon preiere, mon unique et mon tout. . . .
La soif de la souffrance me devore. Je ne serai satisfaite
que lorsque je serai epuisee, que j'aurai donne jusqu'a la
derniere goutte de mon sang pour J^sus. Quand memo
nous irions au fond de l'eau, nous voulons etre ou Jesus
nous appelle. On va aussi bien a lui sur mer que sur
terre. . . . Ne pleurez pas, c'est notre bonheur que vous
pleurez." On the 4th of July the boat on which they
sailed — La Bourgogne — was in collision with the Cromarty-
shire, and sank. Amongst the passengers were three
Dominican fathers : at their feet the five maidens calmly
knelt for the last absolution, and then, rising, they sang
the Salve Eegina, till the waters engulfed them. Their
names deserve record — they are names which link together
the Old World and the New : Eeine and Laure Barcelo,
Emilia Morin, Anna Cauchon and Anai'de L6tourneau.
It was a terrible grief to the Catholics of Montreal, and
the nuns at Lourdes felt that they were called this time
to venture the voyage — to go over and help. In April
1902 they set forth, five in number, in some dim way
trying to replace the five victims of that disastrous col-
lision. The chronicle of the Grotto of Lourdes gives a
picturesque account of their departure : "On Thursday
last, the 17th of April, at six in the morning, the doors
of the convent of the Poor Clares of Lourdes opened to
make way for five humble daughters of St. Clare, who,
near the old bridge and castle of this town of Mary, offer
themselves as victims to God for the salvation of souls.
"They were Sister Marie Joseph of Jesus (Marie Louise
Lemoine of the diocese of Laval) , Sister Mary Francis of
the Five Wounds (Helene Desparroiz of the diocese of
Montreal), Sister Mary of Jesus (Eugenie Pich£ of the
diocese of Montreal), Sister Mary of St. Paul and Jesus
(Marie Hurtulise of Montreal), and Marie- Magdalene of
Jesus (novice of the diocese of Montpellier) , who, with the
sanction and benediction of Mgr. Schcepfer, in reply to
the request of Mgr. Emard, Bishop of Valley field, left
■J
-
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-
>
a
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t
TIIK UNITED STATES AND CANADA 253
•nty-four companions of Lourdes to found in
Canada a new bouse of the On:
•carance of these saintly nuns — clothed in a
h habit of brown, and with sandals of wood that only
served to make walking more painful— all heads were
respectfully uncovered, and tears started to every eye.
" Some fifty persons escorted them to the Grotto, where
r ecclesiastical superior celebrated a farewell Mass, at
which fifteen nuns communicated with a fervour and
humility that all those who witnessed this simple yet
gra i ; acle can never forget
1 h< foundresses then visited Mgr. Schspfer at his
house, for a final episcopal benediction, and were then
taken to visit the local sanctuaries, which some of them
had never before seen. Then, singing the well-known
n—
N'oos BOOS rWWOM MX OMUi
y departed by train for Havre.
In recommending these nuns to the Bishop of Valley-
field (near Montreal), the Bishop of Tarbes had written :
y are absolutely faithful to the spirit of their vocation
spoil of obedience, of simplicity, of penance and of
poverty."
<- voyage was rough, and the poor nuns suffered con-
rably, but they arrived safely st Valley field, and had
with them a piece of rock from the Grotto at Lourdes, and
also a large statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. Until their
own little convent was ready for them they lived with the
sisters of the Holy Family, and the inauguration ceremony
was of a splendour that bewildered the humble nuns. At
procession was the bishop, followed by
the clergy ; khan came the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes,
drawn by two white horses. Then the carriages of the
priiMJpal \m\w< of th. town — one nun in each carriage,
together with her hostess. Sister Marie Joseph de Jesus
is still abbess of this community, and the number of choir
254 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
sisters has increased to twenty-two ; novices three, postu-
lants two; extern sisters, six.
There is one other community of Poor Clares in
Canada : a foundation from New Orleans in the autumn
of 1911, but not yet fully established.
/
CI.
SAINTS AND BLB88ED8 OF THB ORDBB
k Poor Clares number five stints and eighteen
blesscds who have attained holiness in ttuir (Mm : there
are also other cauaes introduced, but not yet ratified. It
qucnt tastic peoples, like the Italians,
11 stan oo, for the public voice to give the title of Saint
oat the sanction of the Church. Now-a-days the
process of canonization is very slow, and Holy Chun 1 1
is very rigid in her rules and careful in her inquiries. 80
that the following names are far from including all those
who have lived saintly lives within a Clarisse cloister.
Of the five saints, St. Clare, St. Colette and St. Agnes
-nisi are dealt with elsewhere, and only Catherine of
Bologna and St. Veronica Juliana are included here. Of
blesaeds— one, Blessed Agnes of Bohemia, is dealt
with in Chapter V, and the following have brief notices
here : Philippe Marcria. Helen of Padua, Margaret
Colonna. Matthia Nazzarei, Marie Magdalene Marti-
nengo, Antonia of Florence, Felicia Meda, Serai
a, Eustochia of Calafato, Paula of Montaldo,
Baptists Varani; Salome, Cunegund and Yolande of
Poland ; Isabel le of France, and Louise of Savoy.
St. Catherine op Bologna, virgin, was born in Ilia
and died on the 9th of March, 1463, in the fiftieth year
of her sge. She was canonized in 1724. Of noble family,
she passed three years at the Court of Ferrara in att
ancc on the Princess Margaret, but when the Princess
hough only thirteen, joined the thinl
Francis, and gradually gathered round her
a small company of other ladies who desired to live the
IN
256 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
consecrated life. More and more was Catherine drawn to
penance and prayer, and at last in 1432 the Provincial of
the Friars Minor gave the small community the first rule
of St. Clare, and called some Clarisses from Mantua to
found a convent for the new sisters. Catherine was
specially devoted to St. Thomas of Canterbury, and on
one occasion he appeared to her and bade her ever cool
the fever of work with the calm of prayer ; and thereafter
she averred that " during the duties imposed by the abbess
she had tasted the sweetness of prayer much more than
when she applied herself to orison in the choir." At
Ferrara they still have a drinking vessel said to have
been given to St. Catherine by St. Joseph, and which
is exposed to the veneration of the faithful at the convent
on the 19th of March. For years there floated before St.
Catherine a mystical overflowing chalice, of which she had
to drink, but which filled her with agony in the drinking.
In 1456 Catherine and fifteen other religious went to
Bologna to make a foundation there — the famous monas-
tery of Corpus Domini, of which St. Catherine was first
abbess. She guided her sisters rather by example than
authority, as St. Clare in her Testament had recom-
mended, and the monastery flourished most exceedingly.
Catherine in a vision saw the Infant Jesus, and leant
forward and kissed him — ever after she bore a mark on
her lip. But all her visions were not sweet ; she was
terribly tempted by demons, and had great interior trials.
After having fought the good fight, she died a peaceful
death. Her body was buried for a brief time, but after
a few days uncovered that she might work miracles. It
is now to be seen at the convent in a glass case : the Saint
is seated, and the hands, face and feet are uncovered.
She left many writings, of which one, "On the Seven
Spiritual Aims," has been translated into English.
The convent grew till it became almost a village, and
in the sixteenth century there were over two hundred
choir sisters and fifty externes. It became necessary to
ITS SAINTS AM) BLESSEDS 257
found another convent — St. Bernardine — in Bologna,
and that, too, soon numbered one hundred sisters. And
d and died Pud. ntienne Zagnoni — one of those
ct souls of whom the world will probably hear more
hereait i These Clares have the Urbanist rule. There
are some fine frescoes in the convent done by one of the
r Clares, some say by St. Catherine herself; also a
picture of St. Ursula by her is exhibited in the gallery
st Bologna. During the Napoleonic invasion the Clares
were expelled, and though several returned in 1816, the
monastery has never resumed its old glory, and most of
the buildings are now used as barracks.
ere is a beautiful saying of St. Catherine that forms
an excellent prelude to meditation— " Oh Consciousness
that I am nothing, you give entrance to Him who is
8t. Vbrov una was born in 1660, became a
Poor Clare Capuchin at the age of seventeen, and died in
;. She was canonized in 1839. The little town of
in Northern Italy— hidden away in a
y in the Apennines— is famous for many Saintly
memories — for many Franciscan memories; and here it
was that St. Veronica became that perfect model of
obedience that makes her the example for every novice
of to-day. Here they still show her poor but tidy cell,
and tell bow St. Veronica desired ever the most patched
habit, but by her ovn washing made it ever the most
clean. On Good Friday 1697, when following the Passion
in an agony of prayer, Veronica received the Sacred
Stigmata, and for twenty-nine years bore these wounds.
She strove ever to conceal them, but under obedience
showed them to her confessor and the bishop. The wound
in the side penetrated to the heart, of which the souffle
could be heard. There have been too many well-authen-
ticated cases of this sort for the psychologist to dare ignore
them ; that when in meditation on a suffering the mental
agony may become so great as to cause external marks,
258 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
is a fact for the most materialistic ; what it means in the
spiritual life only the religious can — and will not— tell. To
St. Veronica also was given a crown of thorns, though
the saint generally so represented in art is St. Catherine
Ricci.
A novice trained by St. Veronica at Citta di Castello,
named Lucrece Ceoli, has since been declared venerable.
In 1773 three religious were sent to found a convent at
Mercatello, which still exists. In 1810 the convent at
Citta was suppressed, but after a few years the nuns
gathered there again, and a few still keep up the old
rigour of the rule.
The Blessed Philippa of Mareria died in 1236 ; Wad-
ding does not give the date of her birth. Her veneration
was confirmed by Innocent IV, and Pius VII granted an
office in her honour. Designed for marriage by her
family, Philippa ran away from home and made herself
a hermitage on a neighbouring mountain. She cut off
her hair and adopted a nun-like dress. Several other
young girls secretly joined her, and her brother Thomas
— who knew of the hermitage — undertook to build them
a convent in the town of Mareria. They accepted, and
on entering followed the rule of the Poor Ladies —
Philippa acting as abbess.
Philippa died young, surrounded by her sisters, and
comforted by the ministrations of Friar Roger. She is
noteworthy as being the first Poor Clare to be honoured
by a public cult — even in the lifetime of the foundress
of the Order. Her body is preserved uncorrupt to this
day.
The Blessed Helen of Padua was born in 1208 of
the illustrious family of the Enselmi; she died in 1242,
and Innocent XII approved her veneration in 1695. She
entered the monastery of Arcella at a very early age, and
became at once famous for her powers of silence. The
convent is supposed to have been founded by St. Agnes
of Assisi in the lifetime of St. Clare. The Blessed Helen
ITS SAINTS AM) BLSSSEDS 259
wm tried by great bodily suffering : she became dumb,
then paralytic ; and for sixteen yean she
could not move save to make those signs she and her
sisters had instituted instead of speech. For three months
before her death she was unable to take food, and how
she sustained life was a miracle to those about her. Her
body still remains far from corruption, and many miracles
are attested to her credit. The whole story of Helen of
Padua, as told by Wadding, is most interesting from the
medical and psychological point of view. She would have
been a splendid case for Lourdes.
e Blessed Margaret Colonna was born in Rome
toe thirteenth century, and ran away from home
and made herself a little hermitage on the hill above
Palest rina, where she lived in poverty and penance.
Hearing that a community of Franciscans were attacked
with plague, Margaret sallied forth and begged alms and
isions, and carried it to them just when they were in
great want. The brothers encouraged her to go to the
convent at Assisi, but a serious illness stopped her. 8he
went to Borne, where her brother was now Cardinal
Colonna, and he approached the Pope about founding a
convent at Palest rina. Consent was given, according to
the Urbanist rule, and there Margaret lived for many
years. Towards the end she suffered from a long and
painful illness, borne with the utmost resignation. She
died on tli* 30th of December, 1284, Cardinal Colonna
giving her the last sacraments. Her convent was removed
to St. Silvestre in Capite, within the walls of Rome, after
death, and it is there that English-speaking Catholics
now worship in the Eternal City.
The Blessed Matthia, virgin, was born in 1234 and
dn d on the 28th of December, 1300. Her veneration was
approved by Clement XIII in 1765. Matthia belonged to
the noble Italian family of Nazzarei, and when the time
came when her father would have her marry, Matthia
ran away to the convent at Matelica and insisted on being
S 2
260 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
received. Shortly after her profession she was elected
abbess, and she ruled for over forty years with mingled
dignity and humility. The people scarcely waited for her
death before, in true Italian fashion, proclaiming her a
saint, and her funeral was a veritable pageant and marked
by many miracles. In 1756, when the church was being
repaired, the bishop had her body uncovered — it was
perfectly preserved and exhaled a sweet perfume : the
bishop had it placed under the high altar and reported the
facts to Rome. In 1758 it was discovered that a trickle
of blood proceeded from the body that had miraculous
properties. This wonder still continues.
The Blessed Mary Magdalene Maetinengo, virgin,
was born in 1687, daughter of the Count Martinengo of
Barco in Brescia. At seven years of age, poor child,
she was already torn between the breviary and two
volumes of romance that lay on her shelves, but she was
preserved from all grave faults by her spirit of prayer and
her love of silence. At the age of twenty she took the
veil at the convent of Poor Clares at Brescia, who follow
the Capuchin reform. Excessive mortifications reduced
the young nun to death's door, and the doctors hastily
summoned pronounced her dying. But she lived — lived
to see the error of her fervour. For two long years she
was confined to her cell, so weak, so languid, prayer was
impossible, and the observance of the holy rule seemed
an intolerable penance. But when she got better that
desire for self-immolation again obsessed her — she burnt
the name of Jesus on her flesh with a hot iron, she took
a vow never to eat fruit, observing that she still took
pleasure in that one dish. As an abbess, Mary Mag-
dalene forbade to others the pains she had herself
adopted. The chief miracle that marks this saint, is
that on one occasion when approaching the grille to receive
communion, the Sacred Host — visibly to all the nuns —
flew from the priest's hands to the lips of the famishing
sister.
ITS SAINTS AND BLESSEDS 261
Her death took place in 1737, and she was beatified by
Leo XIII in 1900.
The Blessed Antonia op Florence was bora in 1401
and died in 1479. Her veneration was approved by
Pius IX in 1847. Antonia was the daughter of respect-
able parents and was early engaged to marry, but death
>ved her spouse. She thereupon entered a convent
of t. but found the rule too easy to satisfy
suffering. St. John Capiat ran was Franciscan
and he sympathized with her longing.
and bade her take up the duties of abbess at the con
na Domini in Aquila, under the first rule of St.
With such fervour did she role the convent, that
light shone far and drew many to that harbour :
soon she had one hundred sisters within the walls, who
chanted day and night the divine office. After her death
her body retained its beauty and suppleness, so that to
day the eyes are open, and the sisters are able with
care to put on a new habit when necessary.
The Blessed Felicia Mbda of Milan, virgin, was born
in 1378 ; at the age of twenty-two she sold all her worldly
goods and gave the money to the poor, and took the habit
in the convent of St. Ursula. After many years she was
elected abbess and ruled with mildness and care, govern-
ing her daughters by love, and ever giving consolation to
the sick. St. Bernardino of Sienna in reforming the
Order wrote and encouraged Felicia in her glorious work,
and she thereupon entered on the enterprise of founding
a convent at Pesaro. For four years she governed
new convent according to the strict rule, and then she
died at the age of sixty-six, having been twenty-two years
in religion. Her veneration was approved by Pius VII.
In her convent at Pesaro Seraphine Sforza found beati-
tude, and the two blesseds were often seen on the walls
of the town after their death — guarding the city they loved
so well.
The Blessed Sbbaphinb Sporza was bora in 1434 and
262 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
died in 1478; her veneration was approved by Benedict
XIV. She was born at Urbino, daughter of the Count
of Montefeltro, and her mother was a Colonna. She was
married to Alexander Sforza, who treated her with great
cruelty, so that at last she fled to the Poor Clares' convent :
Alexander desired nothing better — he was now free to live
his shameful life. Seraphine was an example of humility
and fervour, and was allowed to make her profession —
having taken off her earthly wedding ring and sent it
back to Alexander. In 1475 she was elected abbess, but
only for three more years was her earthly life to endure.
Her husband had spread the most vile calumnies about
her, but now the hand of God struck him with mortal
illness, and he was glad to come to the grate and seek
her forgiveness and withdraw his slanders.
The Blessed Eustochia of Calafato, virgin, was born
in 1430 and died in 1484 : her veneration was approved
by Pope Pius VI. Eustochia was born in Sicily — legend
says in a stable in which her mother took refuge from
a pestilence which was devastating Messina. From her
youth up she heard the voice calling her — sometimes
sweetly, sometimes sternly — to the religious life, and she
gained her parents' permission to join the Poor Clares of
Bassicano in her nineteenth year. But the rule was not
severe enough to satisfy her, and in 1458 she founded
another convent, the Mount of Virgins, to which she
retired with her sister and her niece. It is again to be
noted that these strong souls carry with them into the
cloister their worldly relations. Three times in succes-
sion Eustochia was nominated abbess, and under her rule
the convent grew in numbers and position. She was a
great wonder-worker, and many cures are reported to her
credit. When fifty-four years of age she heard the
summons of death, and she gathered her sisters round her
and for one hour discoursed to them on the Passion of
the Saviour. Then intoning the psalm "Deus, Deus
meus, ad te de luce viglio," she passed to her rest.
ITS SAINTS AND BLESSEDS Ml
The Blessed Paula of Montaldo was bora in 1443 and
tied in 1514 ; she was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1866.
At the early age of fifteen Paula entered the convent
Lucy at Mantua. There is another convent at
is notorious for the fact that ten princesses
of the Malateste family entered it, and moat of them
acted as abbess there or elsewhere ; that convent is called
Um Holy Sacram«-nt. The convent of St. Lucy followed
I'rbanist rule— and that with some laxity; but when
Paula grew up she was elected abbess, and strove for
reform and greater strictness. She would never go to
the grille except for matters of necessity; she could not
console herself with only five communions a year, and
secured the privilege of more; she lived in every wsy a
of negation towards this world, of aspiration towards
the next. When fifty-six years of sge she was called
to heaven. After death her body remained supple and
uncorrupt. At the suppression of the Mantua convents
by Joseph II in 1782, the body waa removed to Volta,
pi it is now to be seen in festss under the altar of the
Holy Virgin.
The Blessed Baptista Varan i was bora in 1458 : at the
age of twenty-three she took the habit at Urbino, but a
few years later she returned to her native town of
Camerino and made a foundation there, just outside the
north-west gate. Her father, the Prince of Camerino,
wanted to endow the convent for her — but she would not
allow it : she was strong in her fortitude and in her love
of poverty. Baptista was one of the scholars of the
second Order, and her letters and memoirs are of rare
value, not only for their charm of language, but for their
tuality of thought. Quotations can be found in the
Aureole Siraphique ; here we must confine ourselves to
one homely and beautiful picture: "The second Friday
after our entry into the convent at Camerino, I was in
infirmary with my sister Constance, she spinning on
one side of the fire and I sewing on the other. Constance
264 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
began to sing the Canticle of our Father Francis : ' Anima
benedetta dell' alto Creatore.' When she had finished the
first strophe I took up the second, and so on, till she
came to the words, 'Behold these hands — Behold these
feet — Behold this side ! ' I could go no further. I swooned
in my sister's arms. She thought it was a physical faint,
such as overcame me at times, but she was mistaken. T
was struck senseless by a sudden apparition of the Holy
Virgin holding in her arms the body of her Son. I had
an agonizing vision of the descent from the cross."
Vocations became so numerous at Camerino that Bap-
tista obtained a special decree from the Pope, limiting
their number to forty-five. In 1505 she made a founda-
tion at Fermo. She died in 1527, and when in 1593 they
opened her tomb, they found her flesh indeed decayed,
but her tongue was intact and red and fresh — perhaps
because of the blessed words it had so often spoken.
John of Parma is also buried at Camerino.
From her tomb the Blessed Baptista still speaks to her
sisters to warn them of the approach of death. When
one is about to die, certain taps are distinctly heard. And
so when a sister is sick, the others go and listen with an
ear pressed to the tomb of Baptista.
She was beatified in 1843, and in 1878 Leo XIII opened
the cause for her canonization.
The Blessed Salome, virgin, was born in 1201, died in
1268. Her veneration was approved by Clement IX. She
was the daughter of the Duke of Cracow, and was at the
age of three affianced to Coloman, King of Gallica. She
grew up a model of innocence and candour, and when the
time for marriage arrived, both she and her husband took
a vow of chastity. After twelve years of work and prayer
together, Coloman was killed in battle against the Tartars,
and his widow became a Poor Lady in the convent of
Strala, where she long fulfilled the office of abbess.
When death came near in the sixty-seventh year of her
age, she would not let the sisters pray for her recovery —
ITS SAINTS AND BLESSEDS
*he wis weary for heaven, of which she was granted the
sweetest visions. It seemed to those who watched that
her soul passed as a star from her mouth, and mounted
to the skies. Her body was removed to Cracow, where
it lies in a chapel specially dedicated to her memory,
in the convent of Poor Clares close to the old palace.
Since the fourteenth century the Poor Clares have in-
habited this convent, and it is rich in treasures, but the
st of all is the reliquary of the Blessed Salome.
M Blessed Cunegund was born in 1224 and died in
1292; her veneration was approved by Pope Alexander
V 1 1 1. 8be was given in marriage to the Duke of Poland,
both she and her husband took a vow of chastity
before the Bishop of Cracow, and she is entered ss a
i the Church's annals. She founded a convent
of Poor Clares at Sandeo under the first rule, and lived
there the last thirteen years of her life. She always went
barefoot, and always fasted; she accepted no mitiga-
tions. An invasion of Tartars once forced the nuns to fly
to a fastness in the Carpathians, but their fortress was
discovered and the enemy advanced. Cunegund set her-
self to prayer, and an invisible force dispersed the Tartars,
and the nuns were saved. She died on the 24th of July,
1292, and her early biographers say that nearly one
hundred corpses were miraculously resuscitated at her tomb.
Of this convent it is reported that the abbess possessed
fifty-four villages! However, a fire in 1764 and other
misfortunes reduced the institution to more Franciscan
poverty, and now it possesses no land, save a little garden
given it in 1873 by the Emperor Francis-Joseph.
The Blessed Yolandb was a younger sister of Cune-
gund, by whom she was brought up at the Court of
Cracow. She married Boleslas the Pious, and had three
children she trained in the practice of religion. After
her husband died she married two of her daughters, and
with her youngest retired to the convent at Sandec, where
her sister was abbess. After the death of Cunegund,
266 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Yolande had the convent removed to Gnesen for greater
safety, and there she served as abbess till her death in
1298. Her veneration was approved by Urban VIII and
confirmed by Leo XII as late as 1827.
The Blessed Isabel of France was born in 1225 and
died on the 23rd of February, 1270. In 1521 Leo X
approved her cult and permitted her an Office and special
feast. This princess was daughter of Louis VIII and
Blanche of Castile ; from an early age she thirsted for
knowledge, and learned Latin that she might study the
Bible and the Fathers. But she was also celebrated for
her skill with the needle, and embroidered many beautiful
pieces of Church linen. Her brother, St. Louis, often
joined her in her prayers, alms-giving and penances, and
both grew up in holiness and grace. Conrad, son of
Frederic II, sought Isabel in marriage, but she appealed
to the Pope and told him of her vow of chastity ; he
regretted the marriage could not take place for the sake
of peace, but he recognized in Isabel such obvious signs
of a vocation that he aided her in her determination.
After the death of her mother, Blanche of Castile, the
Princess Isabel set about founding at Longchamps the
convent of the "Humility of Our Lady," being aided in
every way by her brother the King. The rule of St.
Clare seemed somewhat strict for those used to a Court
life, and who proposed to follow Isabel into seclusion ;
therefore certain mitigations were granted by the Pope to
this royal monastery of Longchamps — as it was generally
called. Four humble Clares from Rheims, with Isabel of
Venice as abbess, came to train these noble dames in the
paths of penance. For nine years Isabel lived in the
cloister, then at the age of forty-five passed peacefully
away, her sisters hearing the hymns with which the angels
greeted her. In 1637 her body was exhumed by per-
mission of Urban VIII and was placed in a golden shrine.
Blanche, daughter of St. Louis, followed her aunt into
Longchamps, bul did not otherwise follow in her foot-
BLUSED IvlllhM.K OK MUNil*.
ITS SAINTS \\l) BLBSSEDS 267
steps : for we find the Princess Blanche first getting a
dispensation to go out when she wished ; then to receive
visitors of either sex ; then to have two servants to wait
on h i explained that she had bad health, and that
>rs were surgeons to let blood, and so on ; but Mill
these "royal" monasteries undoubtedly got very lax in
many cases.
I ii 1439 we find William of Casale unable to reform this
monastery , and so handing its direction over to the Bishop.
Amount other things, he complains that their music is
more worldly than monastic. How Pius X would have
appreciated such a complaint !
c Blessed Lot isb op Savoy was born on the 28th of
December, 1462; entered a convent of Poor Clares in
1492; died the 24th of July, 1503, and was beatified by
Gregory XVI in 1839. Daughter of Amedee IX, Duke of
Savoy, she from her youth up showed no love of worldly
things, and ever desired the religious life. Compelled to
marry in her nineteenth year, she found in her husband,
ili,- young Prince de Chalons, another religious soul, and
together they set their vassals an example of simpl
and fsith. Her husband died in 1490, and Louise— still
only twenty -seven years old— refused the offers of mar-
riage that were brought to her and joined the third Order
t. Francis. In 1492 she received the habit of a Poor
Clare at Orbe : before being received her confessor made
her beg through the town of which she had been sovereign.
She was professed in 1493, and rejoiced in a life of silence
and seclusion till her desth in 1503. She infinitely pre-
ferred the brown habit to the royal purple ; she found keen
delight in bodily mortifications ; her prompt obedience was
the astonishment of the other religious. Worn out by
penance rather than age, she rejoiced to meet death :
"Adieu, my sisters," she said. "I depart for Paradise,
where is all that is most beautiful ! " Then she folded
her hands in prayer and said : "Mary, Mother, deign to
receive my soul," and so she passed away.
268 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Causes Introduced.
The following causes are in process of formation —
The Ven. Florida Ceoli, to whom we have referred as
a disciple of St. Veronica.
The Ven. Clare Isabelle Gherzi, whose story is told in
the chapter on "Gubbio."
The Ven. Antonia Maria Belloni, virgin ; died 1719.
The Ven. Febronia Ansaloni, virgin of Palermo. 1718.
The Ven. Luigia Biagini, lay-sister at the Urbanist
convent in Lucca — that town which boasts St. Zita, the
domestic servant, as saint.
Ven. Jeanne Marie de la Croix, who founded five
monasteries, and died at Roveredo in 1673. Her monas-
teries were founded under certain mitigations approved in
1665 ; thus her nuns wore sandals, and ate meat on feast-
days; they rose at one for the night office. In spite of
these relaxations, the Mother Jeanne Marie demanded
great detachment and mortification on the part of her
religious.
Ven. Angela Maria Astorch of Barcelona, founded the
monasteries at Saragossa and Murcia in Spain. In the
first year of her profession she was made novice-mistress,
and whilst still young became abbess. She was par-
ticularly celebrated for her humility and charity. In 1661,
at the age of sixty-two, she became hungry for heaven,
and passed into a child-like state, almost imbecile, so that
she had, to her great joy, to be freed from office. She
died in 1665.
Ven. Mary of Agreda, author of the Mystical City of
God, a book about which there are two opinions. Highly
praised by some, others have found it involved and stilted.
Ven. Mary of Jesus, Mexican conceptionist.
Ven. Girolama of the Assumption of Manilla.
SAINTS AND BLESSEDS M9
Mabtxbs.
The Order has also had its martyrs. In 1259 the
Tartars invaded Poland and took Cracow; they entered
monastery of Poor Clares and killed all the religious,
!ie number of six
In 1291 Ptolemais in Syria was besieged by Malek-el-
Aschraf , Sultan of Egypt ; the town capitulated, and the
abbess of the Poor Clares collected her sisters, and, telling
them the Saracens were at the gate, advised them to dis-
figure their faces in order to preserve their chastity. She
thereupon cut off her nose, and every one of the sixty-four
sisters promptly followed her example. The Saracens
rushed in, sword in hand, and were struck with horror and
fury— they imsssrred them all.
During the French Revolution the Poor Clares longed
for martyrdom, and envied their sixteen Carmelite sisters
who fell by the guillotine : but this execution was not
granted to any Poor Clare. Many, however, died in prison
st this time— for the prisons were very crowded and the
hardships great. And perhaps the petty martyrdoms were
as much trials of courage as the scaffold.
1 1 is told of one poor old nun that in turning her out of
her convent the soldiers found her discipline, and that
they thereupon drove her down the public street before
them, "striking her with rude and cruel blows.**
In 1558 the Turks took Minorca, burnt the Poor Clares'
convent, and killed Sister Agatha Amarella.
Of how universally faithful unto death the Poor Clares
have been, perhaps the best evidence is that, through all
the vicissitudes of the Order, we can only find two "apos-
tates"— one at Nuremberg in the time of Luther, and one
at Geneva in the time of Calvin.
CHAPTER XII
certain convents of note
Assisi.
The story of the Poor Clares of Assisi from the time
they left St. Damiano and moved into the big new convent
in the town is not without incident. The body of St.
Clare, which had reposed in the chapel of St. George —
now the nuns' choir — was buried beneath the high altar
in 1260, which altar was consecrated by Clement IV in
1263. In 1810 the nuns were turned out by the soldiers
of Napoleon, who used the convent as a barracks and did
much damage. Most of their precious relics and many
priceless MSS. were then lost, and when, after four years,
the nuns returned , they with difficulty cleaned up the con-
vent bit by bit. After the finding of the body of St.
Francis beneath the high altar of his church, the nuns
were fired to uncover the body of St. Clare, and received
permission to undertake this their ambition. They set
about the work in the autumn of 1850. It happened that
Canon Chadwick of Ushaw was travelling in Italy at this
time, and whilst he was at Perugia he heard about the
proposed opening of the tomb of St. Clare, and obtained
permission to be present. He wrote a letter to the Poor
Clares of Scorton Hall (now of Darlington) describing the
scene, in the course of which he says —
"Then began the severing in two of the iron straps
which bound the coffin, during which proceeding the
Bishop of Perugia and another remained in the vault. I
offered to hold the Bishop of Perugia's candle, which offer
he, good man, graciously accepted — but not without a
smile, as much as to say, ' It is not merely to oblige me
you do this ! ' Thus I secured a place below in the vault.
70
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE IT]
"I cannot express what intense anxiety I ft It while the
Minths were cutting through the iron straps, how often I
thought of the nuns, and how often I wished we might
thus go and visit hbert at Durham. At length all
was ready for raising the lid. Two more bishops, a
medical man and three or four more witnesses were sum-
moned down mto the vault. When they had entered a
curtain was let down at the opening, in order, as much as
possible, to prevent the air from affecting the body of the
' , should it be found entire. After this they began,
with ropes which ran through pulleys, to raise the lul
To our pious disappointment the sweet virgin saint was
not found entire. The skull was perfect, but lay at one
as if the coffin had been too abort, and detached from
the bones of the neck. The cheat had fallen in, and I
could not discover many nb-bones. On her breast was a
! branch and a crown of flowers.
"When the lid of the coffin was put aside an excom-
munication was read against any one taking the least
particle away.
"We then went up into the church. The medical men
and other witnesses examined the remains, and gave their
account is writing. The veneration of the relics then
began. After the bishops had been down, the Bishop of
Assisi went out of the church, and came back leading after
him all the good nuns, novices and lay-sisters. It was a
most affecting sight. I bit my lips, and looked savage,
pulled my mouth, and made my eyes look very round :
is no use ! I could hear the devotional sighs and
sobs of the nuns as they passed, and see their handker-
fs stealing up under their veils— and there was an end
of our composure and dignity ! We cried as heartily as
they did!
"Poor things! How devoutly they viewed, and how
affectionately they kissed, the remains of their holy
mother and foundress I
" When they had satisfied their devotion they glided out
272 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of the church like angels, singing the Te Deum. We were
allowed to touch the sacred remains with beads and
crosses. I touched the head with my beads, which I have
broken and not used since : I intend a portion for the good
sisters of Scorton."
The body was exposed for public veneration, and carried
round the town of Assisi in procession. Loccatelli gives
some of the letters written from and to the Poor Clares
at this time. We quote first from the letter of the Abbess
of St. Chiara to the Abbess at Marseilles —
" To the Poor Monastery of St. Clare of Marseilles, 10 October,
1850.
" My Reverend and Beloved Mother "
(There is a description of the finding then) — "We
respectfully unfolded on a table the religious habit, the
mantle, the tunic and the hair shirt of our mother, and
then for five hours we feasted our eyes and hearts on these
touching memorials of poverty and penitence. You may
think with what sweet emotion we were moved, as were
also the bishop and the priests who were with him. How
we gazed on the white skin slippers our mother had made
for our Father Francis to protect the wounds of his sacred
stigmata.1 How we gathered up the lint saturated with
his blood ! Here was the large woollen cloak with which
the bishop covered him when giving up everything to his
father Bernardone ; he had nothing more in the world.
There is the alb of a deacon that is also our mother's
work. Oh, if you knew the fineness and delicacy of that
work ! What skill the saint must have had in needle-
work. . . . Here is our mother's hair shirt, intertwined
with knotted cords, which covered her whole body : you
cannot hold it without pricking the fingers, or kiss it
without hurting the lips. . . . And our mother's mantle
is poor and heavy and coarse, and her inside tunic is all
patched together so that the number of pieces could notx
1 Various relics of Francis had been buried in Clare's tomb.
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE I
be counted ! Oh, dearest sisters, what an eloquent lesson
ii of relics was to us ! . , .
Your affectionate sister and the least of your servants,
ister Marie Teresa of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
unworthy abbess."
Amongst the answers was one from Merida, Venezuela,
following is part—
" 0 God, how have we merited this great good fortune I
consolation to this small and poor community is
oribable. Oh, pray, pray for charity for this your
y sister who shares with you in the glory of being
adai f so great a mother. Our convent has lasted
two hundred years, and remains an island of peace
amongst wars and calamities. A young sacristan from
Corsica writes this letter in Italian for me.
" Your unworthy daughter flings herself at your feet.
1 1U8RPPA of the Virgin Mary, unworthy abbess."
The Df ict is from the letter of the Abbess of
Bezi dated the 20th of August, 1861— nearly a
year after the opening of the grave 1 Truly time has no
nee for the Poor Clare.
" What f. licity for us all, what joy superb, to be the
daughters of so great a saint, and to see in our day the
sacred exposition of our glorious mother to public venera-
lare was still alive when our monastery of
Bezier was founded. It has several times been destroyed,
thank God, has always arisen from its ruins."
The Poor Clares have re-clothed their holy mother— we
give the official description of the body as now to be seen —
" The blessed remains are clothed in a nun's habit and
cloak of silk velvet the colour of ashes ; the hands and feet
are wrapped in silk net. A nun's white veil, and also a
black one, encircle the head, and above the veils is a
crown of brilliant silk flowers made in Paris ; over that,
T
274 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
again, a halo of gilt metal. The right hand is lying on
the breast, and holds the book of the Rule : the left, some-
what extended, holds a beautiful silk lily ornamented with
three brilliants on every stamen. There is an ebony cross
with her little ivory crucifix on the breast. From a girdle
of white silk hangs a rosary with a little silver crucifix.
The whole skeleton lies on a bed of white silk, beautifully
embroidered in gold, and the head, inclining a little to
the right, rests on a pillow of the same material, also
embroidered in gold. And under the pillow was placed
a loving prayer to their holy mother from the nuns of
Marseilles, Bastia and Nantes."
Till 1872 the body lay in- St. George's Chapel, whilst a
crypt and shrine were prepared. There was the interlude
of the suppression of '66, but, thanks to the intervention
of persons of importance, the nuns were then able to buy
the convent, and they were, to their joy, able to give
hospitality to the Benedictines of St. Apolinaris and the
Clares of Cannara. But though they loved to thus repay
the many benefits they had received from the Benedictines
in days of old , the nuns could not but be sad that all their
fields and vines were taken from them — they possess now
only the convent and the garden its walls enclose.
The final translation of the body to the crypt in 1877
was another gorgeous ceremony , at which Leo XIII (then
Cardinal Pecci) assisted. The Clares had dressed their
beloved mother in a wonderful new habit and mantle, and
covered the whole body with the finest net ; there now, in
a crystal shrine, she lies exposed to view to those who visit
Santa Chiara, and make appeal to the good sisters for the
privilege.
There are only thirty-six Clares in that great grey old
nunnery now, and they have the greatest difficulty in
paying their way. They have to demand a small dowry
from novices, and, alas! they feel they cannot keep the
seventh centenary with the ancient solemnity. To hear
the abbess talk of the beauties of the cloister — the little
TOMH OK ST. CLARE.
CERTAIN CON VI OF NOTE I
>sed gardens, the carving aasages and i
s at the end with views right over the Umbrian
plain — makes one long for permission to ent* r The
rs wear the brown habit and go barefoot : in several
books it is stated that the Boer Clares of Assisi wear grey
this is not so. Within those walls is buried a saintly
rancesca, on whose grave the rosea bloom at
stmas, and the nuns keep the leaves and make a
powder <>f them which has cored many people of fever.
Hon th. 1 :st Rule of St. Clare in all its pun
ir years ago there came to Assisi from Para>
I ranee a little colony of Clare-Colettines. At
lived in a wretched house just within the walls,
and p-red terribly from beat and cold— the rain coming
en on to their beds. Meanwhile they were building
a new convent, and— O unsjsthetic if ascetic nuns I— put-
ting on new red tiles, instead of the old grey tiles of
v other building in the town. In 1911 they moved
into their convent. There are eight choir sisters and three
lay sisters. The bouse is held in the name of a French
gentleman, and all their alms come from France, as they
are forbidden to beg in Assisi. They live chiefly on the
produce of their garden, which they till themselves. They
have three novices, of whom one is Italian, and they form
a httle refuge should their sisters at Paray-le-Monial be
expelled.
The convent of Colpersito at San Sbvebino is supposed
to be, after St. Damiano, the first foundation of the Poor
Ladies. In the year 1J1J it was already occupied by
some nuns, probably Benedictines, and Francis went there
to preach to them. Amongst the congregation was s
young poet, William of Lisciano, known in Frederic's
Court as th. King of Verses." Whilst Francis was
preaching William saw his face transfigured, and his body
blotted out by two shining swords — one extending from
his head to his feet, the other across his shoulders, so
forming a cross in the shape of a tau. The vision and
T 2
276 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
the sermon won William from the court to the cloister;
next morning he donned the brown robe and rope girdle,
and was given the name of Brother Pacifico. So edified
were the nuns by the vision and the conversion that they
desired also to assume the brown robe and to come under
the Franciscan rule.
It was to this convent that St. Francis, later on, took
a lamb he had rescued from the market of Osimo, and
begged the sisters to guard and care for it ; and they took
joy in their charge, and sheared the lamb and made of its
wool a tunic, which they sent to St. Francis.
San Severino is about fifty miles east of Assisi in the
March of Ancona, and is situate in a plain, but with a
great castle-hill behind it. The Colpersito is now
inhabited by Cappuccini, but the Clares have a convent
up on the hill, and still consider themselves as of the first
foundation.
On Monte Amiata in Tuscany is the picturesque convent
of Santafiora, which stands on one side of the little
town, whilst on the other stands the castle of the Dukes
of Sforza. It was founded in 1564 by Sister Marie Pas-
sitea Croci of Sienna, who came with two other sisters
and gave the habit to eight young girls. It was built by
the Duchess of Sforza, and has ever been under the care
of that family. Sister Marie is famous as having also
founded a monastery at Piombino and the one at Sienna
for Clares of the First Rule. The influence of the Duchess
of Sforza (nde Stonor) saved the convent from suppres-
sion, and also saved for them a celebrated mineral spring
to which the peasants of the Campagna come to drink
when they have malaria. Speculators have often tried to
get hold of this spring and make a business concern of it,
but the good nuns say that the poor have ever been free
to drink of it, and as long as they can it shall remain free.
There is also an interesting old crucifix and a statue of
the Virgin conserved in this convent. The nuns are but
few now, but they still strictly retain their rule.
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 277
Nok
There used to be two convent* of Clares at Norcia in
Umbria, but in 1703 an earthquake shattered the monas-
tery of St. Clare, and the sisters retired into the Monastery
etoe. We translate from the Analecta Franciseana—
" Ihrc foBow the sisters who died witt jmtation
of sanrtity in the Monastery of Peace at Norcia.
"I. SisU-r Virginia Bsozzi, born at Norcia, and pro-
fessed in the Monastery of Peace of thai same city. That
might serve her Spouse Christ faithfully she nourished
the spiritual life which she had taken up with afflictions
<>f the body and assiduous prayers. Content with brief
sleep, she used to watch after Matins till the early morn-
m the choir, where she contemplated the Agony of
t with lofty mind, and she was often found by the
in i state of ecstasy and of sublime illumination
before the image of the crucifix, her month being pressed
close to the side, of the crucifix. Scorning earthly things,
she used often to say with the Apostle : ' I long to be
released and to be with Christ.' By the merits of her
virginity God freed from a contraction of the bands
Dorothea Baldeschi of Perugia, of the same institution,
who prayed at I for the recovery of her health,
soul flew forth to her Spouse on the 4th of December,
1598.
"2. Sister Clara Suazi of Norcia, who had taken the
path of humility, always thought very humbly of herself,
and cheerfully went about the more menial duties of the
monastery. She could never be induced to undertake the
office of abbess or vicaress. In order to cultivate utter
poverty she used to wear a very old patched tunic. She
bore the loss of her eyesight most patiently until her
death. She passed away to the Lord on Easter Day 1600.
" 3. Sister Eugenia Antonelli, born at Norcia of respect-
able parents, was admirable in character, and was distin-
2?8 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
guished especially for her humility. Urged by the duty of
obedience, she undertook the office of abbess. But to the
provincial minister who laid this duty upon her she
rejoined : ' Father, I do not wish this thing, but do it
under obedience, and God will provide.' And so it fell
out, for when a few months had elapsed she fell sick, and
said to the confessor who was visiting her : ' Father, I
shall go to Paradise on the Feast of the Holy Madonna.'
The prediction came true, for she died the 2nd of February,
1675.
" Two of the Sisters of the Monastery of St. Clare at Norcia.
"1. Blessed Lucia, born at Valcatara near Norcia,
although she passed into heaven before the monastery
had been assigned to our people, yet, since she was the
founder of it, we consider that her memory ought not to
be omitted here. From her girlhood she was inclined to
piety, and in order that she might serve God the better
and provide for the better preservation of her virginity,
which she had already vowed, she betook herself to the
house dedicated to St. Jerome in Norcia. Shortly after-
wards other virgins — Praxedes, Scholastica, Christiana,
Jacoba, Catharine and Philippa — joined her, and she pre-
sided over them rather by example than by word. Mean-
while the illustrious one went to consult blessed Angela,
who received her kindly, and consented to send one
disciple herself to Norcia to instruct the said daughters
in the regular discipline. But as the number of virgins
constantly increased she enlarged the house into a monas-
tery and caused a new church to be erected, dedicated to
the divine Mother Clare. She likewise built another in
her own land, and, having obtained canonical sanction,
she governed each most holily. Full of merits and virtue,
she joined her heavenly Spouse on the 12th of February,
1430, and was distinguished by miracles both before and
after her death.
"2. Sister Maria- Antonia Cestarelli from her girlhood
subdued her flesh with fastings and scourgings. One
MMATO, ROME.
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 179
nipht. when she was praying very fervently before th^
_o of the Virgin, she burned with desire to consult her
nor, who lived seven miles away at Norcia. Leaving
lereupon, she found a very beautiful youth,
accompanied her on her way there and back by night,
though her parents knew nothing of what had taken place.
i he monastery of St. Clare, and, having taken
m set a pattern to all by her patience, poverty
and spiritual frrvonr, wherefore she earned the favour of
vision of her heavenly Spouse. 8he passed away to
•are the 19th of May, 1659."
There were others famed for sanctity, but not men-
Bomb.
"Oh of the world' t name*—Ro*\
In September 1234 St. Clare, at the invitation of Pope
Gregory (formerly Cardinal Ugolino), sent four Poor
Ladies to the old Benedictine monastery of 8am Cobimato.
as the first monastery in Borne in which nuns were
try enclosed, and its severe rule drew numbers of the
noblest families, such as the Colonna, Orsini, Farnese and
m. It was for this convent that Penturicchio painted
a beautiful fresco of the Virgin and Child with St. Francis
and St. Clare, which is now in the Vatican.
In L461 this convent was reformed by the Venerable
te de Sulmone ; amongst five religious who came
from St. Lucy at Foligno to aid the reform was the saintly
Theodora de Molara.
Pope Sixtus rebuilt this convent for the nuns in 1475.
In L617 Leo X sent fourteen nuns from San Cosimato
to revive tin strict observance at San Lorenzo on the
V inn rial Hill— a convent which had likewise once belonged
t> the Benedictines and been handed over to the Clares in
the lifetime of the saint. Amongst these nuns was Sister
280 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Violante Savelli, a Roman princess, who lived to the great
age of a hundred years, and retained all her faculties to
the last, and never missed the midnight office.
For hundreds of years at St. Cosimato in Trastevere the
Clares lived on in their old convent, being sometimes
prosperous and sometimes declining, till early in this
century a blow long feared fell on them — the Government
sent word that they were too few to be any longer per-
mitted the use of that big building ; they must turn out
in favour of some charitable institution. It was a bitter
blow. A temporary house was found in the Via St.
Gregorio, and there the nuns are at this time.
We went to visit them in December 1911, and found
them cheerful, in spite of their exile from their old home.
They were twenty-one in number, and had that very day
received a new novice. They proposed to celebrate the
centenary by increasing strictness of rule — they are at
present Urbanists. It was obvious they had hopes of
winning back their old home. They had a roll of abbesses,
but the book was too precious to allow us to copy from it.
We next went to visit St. Cosimato, and were allowed
to see the cloister, where a number of old men were
sunning themselves ; if the nuns had to turn out, it was
well at least that the poor old men could enjoy the peace
and quiet of the convent. They did not look in the least
out of place. The former convent of Poor Clares at
Cutigliano in the Apennines, which was confiscated in
1866, is now used as a holiday home for Florentine
children, and those who have seen the wee mites enjoying
the old garden and getting health from the mountain air
must rejoice that, if the convent had to be lost, it also
should be used for a good purpose. Our illustration is
of the entrance to the old church of St. Cosmo and St.
Damian, which served as the sisters' choir. It has
beautiful mosaics, and is well worth a visit, though not
often included in the tourist's round.
The convent of St. Lorenzo in Panisperna prospered
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOT1
for a tun. . It was there that St. Bn Sweden
re her body remained till she was cat
ized by Bonifao hen Queen Catherine claim-
an«l earned it off to Swe<!
lx)renzo waa founded a monastery at Genoa
by Mother Catherine Negroni and four sisters in 1307.
But the chief foundations from San Lorenzo were made
in 1618 by Sister Isabella and the Venerable Franceses
Farnese. These two Roman nobles, sisters in the world
as well as in religion, founded three very strict convents
irneso, Albano, and the Conception at Rome. They
also reformed the convent at Palestrina known as St. Mary
of the Angels. So strict waa the life they inaugurated in
these houses that the nuns were known as the Sepolto
vive, or buried slive. That the reform did not spread
very widely is probably due to the over-strictness of the
In 1875 two sisters from St. Lorenzo went over to the
United States and founded several convents : their story
is told in another chapter. It is a great glory to the
dwindling nuns in Rome that their foundations are
flourishing so exceedingly in the New World. Strange
indeed is the contrast between the old convents of Italy
and the new convents of America. But the spirit of the
Clares is the same, the life is the same, the result is the
same. St. Lorenzo is to-day a chemical laboratory, for
the nuns have been expelled, and now occupy a little
convent known as St. Lucy in S-
These nuns also have the Urbanist rules, and suffer
as cheerfully as their sisters in the Via
Gregorio. We went to see the old convent, and felt it
was much more unsuitably used than that of San Cosi-
mato. It seemed sad indeed in Rome itself to find the
Poor Clares mere exiles— merely on sufferance.
There is a third convent in the Via Sforza, of later
foundation and stricter rule; and these three are all we
could trace in the great centre of Catholicism to-day. It
282 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
is interesting to the English-speaking Catholics who
attend St. Silvestro in Capite to remember that it was
founded by the Blessed Margaret Colonna in the thirteenth
century as a convent of Poor Clares, and that the Blessed
Margaret died there in 1284. These Clares took the
Longchamps rule , and called themselves Minoresses ;
they refused to come under the rule of Urban IV, and
therefore Boniface VIII, who stood no nonsense, excom-
municated them all. His successor, Benedict XI, removed
the ban and allowed them the primitive rule.
Naples.
This beautiful town is of special note in the history of
the Poor Clares for two things : the building of the huge
Koyal Monastery by Robert of Anjou and Queen Sancha
in 1309 ; and the founding of the first monastery of the
Capuchin reform by Mary Laurentia Longa in 1538. The
Royal Monastery was built to hold three hundred religious
following the modified rule of Innocent IV, with an
adjoining house to hold fifty of the strict rule' to say the
Divine Office. The chapel served as the royal mausoleum.
There was one good point about this huge structure with
its special privileges : that it has been able to shelter four
other communities of Clares who have been expelled from
their convents. In 1656 the entire community died of the
plague. In 1895 Mgr. Ricard says there were only eight
choir sisters and seven externs left, and that professions
were forbidden by the Government.
Queen Sancha founded other convents of Clares in
France and Italy ; she also urged and aided her husband
to buy certain sanctuaries in the Holy Land and give
them to the Franciscan friars. When she was left a
widow, Queen Sancha determined to join the Poor Clares
— but the right spirit was in her, and she would not enter
the Royal Monastery at Naples, or any other of the big
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 283
foundations she had made. She built yet another Neapoli-
tan C a small one ealkd the oss, and she
got some sisters of tin- First Rule to come from Assisi to
it and there she retired, giving up a diadem of
for a crown of thorns. She only lived for one year
in • r death came in 1345, and th.
people of Naples ever speak of her as the Blessed Sancha.
• • Ven. Mary Lauren tia Longa was born in Spain
and married a Neapolitan ; by the intervention of Our Lady
of Loretto she waa saved from poison administered by an
thful servant, and she vowed her rescued life to the
glory of God. She built a hospital for incurables at Naples
—a bouse for the Theatines— a house for the Capucinea —
she entered the Third Order— but she waa not satisfied :
she had not yet found the peace of God. Then she asked
those of the Third Order with whom she lived to adopt
rule, with certain added severities,
and to place themselves under the Capuchin fathers.
They agreed— and at last the Ven. Mary Lauren tia found
satin The others found it also, and vocations
became numerous : the reform spread to Rome in 1572 :
St. Charles Borroraeo introduced it into Milan ; it spread
to Recanati, Barcelona, Paria and Marseilles. M<
Mary Latin •ntia Longa died in 1542, and the reform waa
liedby Clmi. nt Ylil m ir><n lsbranch
of the Clares belong St. Veronica Juliana and the Bleaaed
Mary Magdalene Martinengo.
Vibona.
In 1226 Cardinal Ugobno obtained a pioce of ground at
Verona on the Champs de Man to build a convent of Poor
Clares, and St. Agnes went from Florence with some of
religious to found the new house. When the sup-
pression of 1810 came the nuns had to leave, after more
than five hundred yeara of quiet; they retired to an<
284 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
house and formed a school. But in 1836 Therese Cavalieri
recovered the old monastery for the Clares, and restored
it : in 1845 there was formal enclosure, and the foundress
(in religion Mother Maria Cherubina) was elected abbess.
Under her zealous and able guidance the monastery
returned to all its old glory, and in 1848 we find Laura
Cesari making profession with the name of Sister M.
Francis of the Sacred Stigmata. Unfortunately, in 1860
Perpetual Adoration was granted to the convent of St.
Clare in the same town, and it was put under the charge
of the old sisters, and to keep the two houses going became
a great strain. It seems doubtful to us if Perpetual Adora-
tion is compatible with the strict rule of St. Clare ; it is
therefore interesting to notice those convents where it is
attempted.
Geneva.
The Poor Clare-Colettines were established at Geneva
in 1477 by Yolande, Duchess of Savoy. The first members
came from Orbe, Seurre, Chambe>y and Vevey. For
about fifty years they lived in peace ; then in 1532 the
Genevan Council of Two Hundred ordained that in every
church and cloister of the city " the pure Gospel " should
be preached. The bishop strongly opposed this decree,
but it drew to the city a medley of preachers, amongst
whom was the notorious Farel, one of the most obnoxious
members of the Lutheran reform. Even Erasmus had
joined in expelling this man from Basle because of his
violence ; and he had been expelled from other towns. It
is said that when he preached at Metz the bells were rung
to drown his voice, but he howled down the bells.
Imagine the Poor Clares, who are trained to speak as little
as possible and in a low voice, obliged to listen to such a
man ! On the 6th of July, 1535, he preached a shameful
discourse on "Marriage," and bade them ignore their vow
of chastity : rising to their feet, the religious made for the
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 285
door, but found it shut in their faces— for six hours they
were kept in the choir and heckled by the heretics, who
wanted to find out uhi< h of the nuns wished to leave the
ter and make an honourable marriage. None of them
consented at that date, but, alas ! later on a certain S
Blasine forsook them. On the 24th of August fifty men,
■fined with hate -nets, hammers, etc., attacked the convent
and loroed an entrance a: led the sisters : we regret
to say. on the a< f a Poor Clare, Jeanne de Jussie,
wrote an account of the affair, that when her married
filter, seeking Hlasine, asked of a novice, "Are you my
r? " the novice replied, " No, I am not the sister of a
r." We rather fancy, from the unction with
which the tale is told, that it was Jeanne herself who
made the retort. AJfO for we would tell the whole truth
—when the intruders laid bold of Blasine to take her
away, two old nuns, her aunts, held on to the unfortunate
girl, who must have suffered considerably in the struggle.
The other nuns fled to Annecy— that charming little town
high up to the south— and there they formed the Mones-
he Cross. Of all their trials there is not time to
tell (for they were only one of many communities on
whom calamity had fallen), but Jeanne de Jussie especially
notes that the old nuns (one ninety-five years of age) felt
the cruelty of the flight terribly. To Annecy came also
some of the nuns expelled from Vevey and other towns,
and in that sombre convent above that little arched street
lived to hallow Annecy till the coming of St. Francis
de Sales. But to-day the convent is used as a cotton
factory, though the street still retains the name of St.
Clare, as does the massive old town gate at its end.
Amiens.
The foundation of Amiens by St. Colette is referred to
bap \ 11. hut its later history is of interest, as it has
ever been the training-ground for English Clares.
286 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
When the first abbess, Isabel of Bourbon, died, her
niece, Catherine de la Marche, was elected in her stead.
In 1615 the convent adopted the constitutions of the
Capuchin reform. In 1625 Marie de Medicis of France
and Marie Henrietta of England availed themselves of the
royal privilege of entering the enclosure of this convent
and visited every part, and left behind them a reliquary
as a remembrance of the occasion. It will be remembered
that the late Queen Victoria once availed herself of the
royal privilege to enter the enclosure of the Great St.
Bernard when she was crossing the Alps. In the year
1773 Perpetual Adoration was commenced, at the earnest
entreaty of the nuns. In 1789 began the vexations of the
Eevolution and the dogged resistance of the religious, led
by their abbess, Mother St. Hugues. First they were
asked for a return of their revenues, and replied they had
none, they lived on daily alms. Then they were com-
manded to appoint a more pacific abbess ; the answer was
to re-elect Mother St. Hugues. Thereupon Mother St.
Hugues was exiled , and went to America ; the gates of
the monastery were forced open by men, and the nuns
were told that they were " set at liberty " — as they refused
to leave they were expelled by force. For some time they
lived secretly with friends, wearing secular dress; but in
1793 the upholders of Liberty seized them and imprisoned
them. Oh, human perversity! Throughout all their
trials they preserved the notorious cheerfulness of Poor
Clares, and it is told that one day, when their jailer grimly
informed them of the approach of Lebon, who had just
sentenced all the prisoners of Arras to the guillotine, a
Sister S. Joseph exclaimed with a transport she could
not hide : " My God ! what joy ! We shall all go to
Paradise ! " But they were not granted martyrdom, and
after the death of Robespierre they were released, and in
1801 Mother St. Hugues dared to return from America,
and they returned to their despoiled convent under their
old abbess. A few years later a new convent was begun,
\
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 287
and when that was finished the pious people of Amiens
built them a suitable church II. ;. . m 1887, they once
commenced Perpetual Adoration They were now
to receive novices and to live according to I
o far they have escaped the recent suppression
laws in France, hut they have to live very quietly, and
ire that no attention be called to their presence.
10*.
■•as founded in 1250 by Sister Maria of
Assisi, who became first abbess. Whilst Gerarde de
ran was abbess here her little niece, Roseline de
\ 'ill. ti. uve, was entered as an oblate at the age of ten
years ; she became a Carmelite, and is now St. Roseline.
Tli. re were two foundations from Avignon, at Annonay
and Si-t.-ron. ,
In 1'iiT. the monastery having become somewhat lax,
Soeur Maris de Clermont from Albi was sent as abbess to
i. f.-nn it, and for thirty-four years she ruled with skill,
so that the old faun of the convent was quite revived.
Years aft body was found quite uncorrupt,
and she is of saintly memory. After she passed away the
gradually declined, and if ever Avignon is to be
restored to the list of foundations, it \m!I be because of the
fame of Marie de Clermont.
Lillb.
The Poor Clare-Colettines of Lille were founded in
1490 by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. It was here,
in 1783, that several of the Bruges sisters took refuge
faring tt 'i of Joseph II ; but only a few years
later, at the French Revolution, the nuns of Lille had to
seek shelter in their turn in Bruges. It was at Lille that
288 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Mother Jacqueline de la Vallee was elected abbess for her
saintly qualities, but insisted on resigning because she
could not write, and felt she therefore could not fulfil the
office for the best. This shows the democracy of the Clare
cloisters, where there are no lay sisters and all have to
share the manual duties and are all equal. It was not till
1866 that the convent again came into being, owing to
the energy of Mother Mary Dominic of Bruges and the
generosity of the Count de Caulainecourt. Mother Mary
Pacifica Vanhoutte was the abbess of this re-establish-
ment, and for thirty-four years at Lille the convent of the
Holy Trinity flourished under her sweet and able rule.
She died after great suffering in the year 1900, leaving a
saintly memory behind her. Alas ! Lille was shortly after
to be one of the convents closed by the Government, and
at the present time the town is without a temple of prayer.
Doubtless the future will see the nuns return to their own
again.
Lyons.
About 1269 Blanche de Chalons established the Poor
Clares at Lyons, the foundresses probably coming from
Rheims — which had been founded by Marie de Braye in
1220. The site where the Lyons convent was built was
known as "the desert," because it was so isolated, and
the convent became known locally as the " Monastere des
Claris8e8 de la De'serte." The Bishop had refused to allow
a begging community in his diocese, so the rule of poverty
had to be relaxed, and these Clares were allowed posses-
sions. This monastery placed outside the walls in
troublous times was frequently taken and pillaged, and
the nuns put to flight. In 1501 the twenty-fourth abbess
of the Monastery of the Desert asked permission of the
Pope to adopt the Benedictine rule, as the rule of St.
Clare in its purity— and strength— was not kept in their
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 289
monastery. Her request was granted, and these Clares
became Benedictines. In 1484 the Colettian reform had
been introduced at Bourg, but in the wars between France
Savoy in the end of the next century this unfortunate
town found itself considerably battered and despoiled, and
famine, as usual, followed on war. The nuns were starv-
ing -they had nothing to eat but a few cabbages and
herbs. The Provincial sent them a letter saying that
those who liked to leave the monastery might come to
Lyons— and he would provide for them. Seven accepted
the offer— eight remained at Bourg, and their faith was
tied, and their monastery resumed its pristine apian-
dour at the swift end to the war. The seven others arrived
safely at Lyons after a three days' walk under the guid-
ance of one of the extern sisters, and here the Benedictines
hmmd Ibaa hi lbe#«Mftam Abbaj Rofal oi Bt Mar.
"The Poor Clares were happy in that house so royalty
hospitable, but they sighed ardently for the blessed
moment when the Lord would grant them some little
corner in the town where they could again find that
poverty and total separation from the world— that sweet
peace and solitude— of which they had been so long
deprived." The longing was fulfilled— an Italian came
ird and offered a small bouse, and then the great of
the land— Marie de Medicos and Anne of Austria and
others— interested themselves in building a convent for
these Poor Clares. And it flourished exceedingly, till the
Revolution for a time arrested all temporal progress.
Then the nuns showed their courage : they were thrown
into prison ; they were condemned to death— but reprieved.
Their intrepidity roused the admiration of all, and at last
they were released and led in triumph to their old borne.
There they lived till 1806, and then a benefactor bought
them a piece of the Convent of the Visitation, where St.
Francis de Sales had died : this, much augmented and
altered, is their convent of to-day in the Bue Sala. In
1870 fears came to them there, and the Communards
290 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
insisted on searching the convent for arms. " We hare no
arms, but we have a whole regiment of cavalry ! " said
one sister, and she threw open a cupboard door and dis-
played a lot of tiny horses that the sisters used to make
to give to the children of the benefactors who gave alms.
The soldiers laughed heartily — one begged a horse for his
child ; another requested one of the little cotton-wool
lambs for his sick daughter.
"Take what you will," said the mother abbess; "we
should like to give you medals also, to protect you in
battle, if we dared."
"Oh, give them, give them, Reverend Mother! We
accept them with gratitude ! "
The soldiers left — but they were no longer the same
men : in place of menaces and threats they were all smiles
and thanks and promises of help. And they kept their
promises — not only in guarding the convent, but in bring-
ing gifts of provisions.
In 1876 these sisters founded the convent of Lourdes —
as is told elsewhere.
Last, but not least, under their late Mother Abbess
Angela, the Poor Clares of Lyons produced the monu-
mental but fragmentary Histoire Abregee de VOrdre dc
St. Claire d'Assisi in two big volumes. It was published
in 1906, and from its interesting pages some of the most
charming of our stories have been culled. The Mother
Angela died a few months after its publication, and the
present abbess is Mother Marie de Gonzaga. The Clares
live under the menace of expulsion ; and in the autumn
of 1911 heard with horror the riot which occurred at the
expulsion of the beloved Little Sisters of the Assumption.
The people of Lyons are very loyal, and it is doubtful
what would occur if the Poor Clares, who are so much
respected, were turned out of their home.
It was Rosary Sunday 1911 when I visited the Poor
Clares at Locbdbs. From all the country round the people
were flocking in to join the pilgrims in residence, and the
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 291
Boeary Church and the Grotto of the Rosary Square and
the Basilica were all crowded. Down the streets from the
I the peasants with thm baskets, and the
lilmg the invalid-chairs. Against this stream
»le blow headway till 1 reached the old bridge, and
found on my left a long grey stone building with very
hale windows, and with dark trees shrouding its narrow
> of garden.
the doorway a sodden silence seemed to fail ; to
left was the chapel, where two sisters and a few
peasants watched before the Host ; to the right was the
parlour where at the rota I was to have speech, I
hoped, with the Rev. Mother.
But no— when that strange, toneless voice from behind
the wooden wall with its narrow slits reached me, it was
to say that Mother Marie des Anges was ill : " She is now
I -eight years of age, and cannot go upstairs without
assistance ; she begs Madame to excuse her, and I am to
give all the information I can."
" But Rev. Mother is one of the mincuUes of Lourdes,
is she not? I wanted to bear about her cure."
Ah, that was in 1878— long ago. Mother Abbess was
then a sister at Lyons, and very ill— so ill the slightest
movement gave her pain. She arrived here nearly dead,
and was carried to the grotto. You must not think she
was praying for a cure ; she was merely submitting her
will t<> the will of God, whilst hoping she would soon be
with Him in Paradise. But the Bishop told her she must
desire to recover for the glory of Our Lady, and imme-
diately she was cured and got up and walked. She came
_'ht here— and has been here ever since."
lid she become abbess? "
In the year 1889. Our foundress and first abbess was
her Marie Therese de Jesus, then abbess at Lyons,
who came here in 1876 with three sisters and two novices.
This convent was built for us on this waste and rocky bit
of ground by the river We were quite alone then, but
U 2
292 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
now the hotels press round us on every side. Lourdes has
changed so very, very much."
" And how many nuns are there here now ? "
"We are seventeen professed, two novices and one
postulant, madame; we were more numerous at one time,
but in 1902 we sent five of our sisters to Canada to form
a new foundation there."
"And you keep your enclosure strictly here? — you do
not go to the grotto? — even if you are sick? "
"Ah, no; there are some of us who have never even
seen the grotto. But we hear the pilgrims singing the
1 Av6, Ave1 ' sometimes, and we pray always for their sick,
and for cures of both body and soul ; and we render
thanks to the Immaculate Virgin for all her favours. And
we pray for England, madame; there are many, many
conversions there, are there not? England will return to
the faith?"
It was the only human touch in that monotonous voice
from behind the heavy shutter. In Huysman's Les
Foules de Lourdes he speaks of the "gay laugh" of a
Poor Clare at this convent. I heard it not. I was glad
to be directed to the Journal de la Grotte for a description
of the departure of the sisters for Canada, and then to say
"Adieu," and depart from that cold loneliness out into the
sunshine and the crowds. I doubt not the patient nun
would have gone on replying to questions ; but mere
information can be gained from chronicles, and I had
got my impression of that grey island of sober prayer
amidst the seething shouts of pilgrims who storm the
gates of heaven with wild entreaties and clamorous peti-
tions. Nowhere else have I so keenly felt the contrast
between the active and the contemplative life in religion.
That whole town, with its thousands and thousands of
pilgrims, its great hotels and greater hospices, its crowds
of priests and nuns serving its crowds of sick — the priests
with the leather braces of the brancardiers over their
soutanes, and busy carrying stretchers and wheeling
( I BR] MX CONVENTS OF NOTE 293
chairs ; the nuns with white aprons and sleeves owr their
s running with water to the sick ; the Capuchin f
in the square, who. with arms extended and throat of
hrasH, lead* the pathetic invocations -
" S*ure*-noa«, Jlsua, none
Seigneur, bites quo je voir !
Seigneur, fattes que je marche 1 "
endless processions, and services, and hymns, and
tie cosmopolitan crowd ; I sand
tongnei
(1st of this seething shouting Lourdes,
y island of i \ver and secluded Uvea.
< tires wrought by the prayers of these Poor
Clares there are many tales. V Nfary Seraphim,
*s at Valence, was tormented by a grievous malady
nany years; special prayers for her recovery were
(1 up at Lourdes; she suddenly felt an assuaging
-oothed away all suffering. Astonished, dis-
mayed, she hastened to the chapel and threw herself si
et of Our Lady, and cried : "Oh, why, dear Mother,
u no longer allow me to suffer? Ah ! I do not wish
aed, and only ceased
death in 1908.
They persevere, even in their pains, these Poor Clares.
Brdobs.
At some unknown date in the thirteenth century a
young German maiden named Ermentrude, moved by a
vision, went forth from Cologne, with only one companion,
in search of that religious life to which she felt ca!
Day by day she moved on, guided by the Holy Spirit snd
begging her way, till at last she arrived in Bruges, and
was sheltered by some Franciscan tertiaries.
One day the voice spake plainly to her: "Take the
Virgin of Assisi as your model." With prompt obedience
s
294 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
she wrote to St. Olnre for her rule, and gathered around
her those who were thirsting for the sheltered life. In
time the answer came — a letter which is very beautiful
and very old. Some have cast doubts on its authen-
ticity, but to us it seems to bear plainly the mark of St.
Clare—
"To her dearest Sister Ermentrude, Clare of Assisi,
humble servant of Jesus Christ, health and peace.
"We have of late been informed, dearest sister, how
that, by the grace of our Lord, thou hast renounced the
world, and greatly have we rejoiced therein, marvelling
at thy noble resolution and thy inimitable fervour in run-
ning the race of perfection with thy worthy companions.
I pray thee to be faithful unto death to the Divine Rpouse
to whom thou hast dedicated thyself, and I am fully con-
fident that thou shalt receive the crown of immortality as
a reward of these thy labours. The season of affliction is
short, but the time of reward is eternal. Be not con-
founded by the magnificence of this world — it ps
away like a shadow; be not deceived by its pomps, for
they are but mockeries and deceptions. The dragon of
hell will prowl around thee, and terribly will he hiss ; but
pay no heed, withstand him valiantly, and he will take to
flight. Take heed, my beloved, and be not cast down by
tribulations; in the midst of prosperity let not thy heart
be puffed up with pride, for the quality of faith should
enable us to be humble in the midst of good fortune,
unmoved when overtaken by adversity. Render unto God
the service which thou hast vowed unto Him, see that
thou render it diligently and at the appointed time, for
be thou well assured that He will richly reward thee for
thy sacrifices unto Him. Lift up thine eyes ofttimes unto
the heavens, which bid thee to take op the cross and to
follow Christ, who has gone this way before thee ; for it
is written that only by passing through many tribulations
shalt thou gain the kingdom of heaven. Above all things,
see that thou adore with all thy soul and with all thy
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 295
strength our SoTereign God and His Divine Son, who
yielded FTimenlf up to be crucified for our sins. Oh, Um
M of God ! Never should thy mind be lacking this
profit t : Meditate continually upon the mys-
ist'a Passion, and on the sorrows of His moat
holy Mother I ross. Let action be united to ar.
and continual prayer. Be thou ever watchful and intent,
i perseverance to finish the good work I
hast begun so well. Perform all the duties of thy office
with humility, and live thou in absolute poverty. Let not
a from the completion of thy * my
beloved daupht. r. the Lord is ever faithful to His word
holy in His works, an.l Be will J«>ur down upon thee
nnl thy nuns an abundance of bleaainga. He will be unto
Id and Consolation, thy Redeemer and thy
Ueward. Until the coming of that good time
let us pray one for the other, and, upheld by the sweet
bond of charity, we shall readily obey the laws of Christ
e office to which St. Clare refers is that of abbeaa,
ide now undertook. After the death of
•' she visited Rome and obtained powers to found
other monasteries in Bruges and round about, and through
her the Order spread over Flanders and the north of
1'l.lIKV.
tt it was that uli.ii Mother Catherine do
Longueville, in whose arms 8t. Colette had died, came
with aeven sisters and waa Joined by others
: as, the people of Bruges— knowing well the sweet
sisters of St. Clare— set all the bells a-ringing, and the
hike and princes of all aorta went out to welcome
This was in 1478, and this little band introduced
(institutions of St. Colette on to the first
rulf. which had so far 1»< Pad in Bruges.
Before a hundred years were over the convent was
Peaicgeri during the wars of the Gueux. Entering t!<.
courtyard, the soldiers bade the nuns come forth before
296 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
they set fire to the building. The abbess took her pro-
cessional cross and gave the nuns their tapers.
"ProcedamuB in pace," she said, and opened the
cloister door, and with downcast eyes and veiled face
stepped forth. Her nuns all followed in silence and
order.
The soldiers fell back ; the captain felt tears in his eyes ;
these modest poor women in their patched habits and
bare feet — oh I who could wrong them ?
"Return to your solitude," he cried, "and live in peace :
no ill shall touch you ; " and he and his men constituted
themselves their protectors, and the nuns were safe for
that time.
One of the burgomasters who had a daughter a novice
in the convent became frightened, and insisted on enter-
ing the enclosure to force his daughter to return home.
She seized a black veil and threw it over her head, and
hid herself amongst the professed. In vain the irate
father scanned the faces — he could not recognize his own
daughter I At last he seized a nun by the arm and began
to drag her along. "Sir, I am not your daughter," was
the quiet remonstrance, "and I should indeed be sorry to
have such a father!" Baffled and ashamed, the man
withdrew, and his daughter lived to become abbess, and
died in the odour of sanctity.
In 1783 Joseph II, Emperor of Austria, suppressed the
convent, and the nuns fled by twos and threes, some
being sheltered in France by that saintly Carmelite,
Madame Louise. In 1791 these sisters were permitted
to return — not one was missing ! From far and near
they gathered, their convent was repaired, and under the
same abbess— Mother Willaert— they returned to their
prayers.
In 1796 the convent was again suppressed, and the DOM
took refuge in a house in the town. Here they rec<
no less than fourteen novices, and were able, in 1814, to
send some young sisters to help the two sole remaining
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 297
nuriB at Ghent to build up a new commn or many
years they fought on agai lar prejudice and against
great poverty. They had the offer of a new convent, and
soothe public criticism by adding to it a little
school to be managed by extern sisters.
Now it was that Mary Dominic, in the world Julie
Berlamont, came on the scene, at first aa a fervent novice,
as secretary to the abbess and mistress of novices,
and finally as abbess herself. This was in 1631, when she
was only thirty-two years of age; the rale is that
■ should be, if possible, forty years of age : so it is
nt that there were special powers patent in Mother
hat led to her election. She is celebrated
number of foundations— fourteen — which she
established, nine in Belgium, and four in England, and
ranee— and this though the Bruges nuns did not
r nhuilt conwnt till 1R-H. The convents in
urn were : An vers, 1884 ; Tournay, 1887 ; Lierre and
. 1838; Ypres, 1840; Courtrai, 1842; Brussels,
1843 ; Beaumont, 1854 ; and Ostend, 1862. All these con-
vents still flourish, but that in France was closed
by the Government a few years ago. This exo
abbess died in 1871, and was succeeded by Mother Msry
Bernardine, who made a foundation at Newport, and
resuscitated the old Oravelines convent where so many
English Clares had lived in the past.
When in Bruges, in 1911, we turned in at the old arched
oor Clares' convent and rang their great
id no desire to disturb the abbess— Mother
M. Josephine— and merely asked the extern sister to lot
us e< She was a most friendly little sister,
and led us al -lean stone passage to the bare chapel
with its stone floor and few wooden seats. There was a
total absence of all merely decorative ornament, and the
presence instead of real memorials of Francis and Clare.
A still older sister came and spoke to us and made us
welcome, and gave us a Litany of St. Clare. Having said
298 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
our little prayer we went silently away, much edified by
the unmistakable atmosphere of sincerity and devotion
and the simple charm of the place.
Spain.
The Order was first founded in Spain in 1229 by Agnes
and Clare of Assisi, niece and great-niece of the saint.
They landed at Barcelona and founded a convent there,
and subsequently made foundations at Zamorra and
Burgos. Agnes was the first abbess, and when she died
Clare was elected in her place. The shrine of these two
pioneers is still honoured in Barcelona.
The Poor Clares of Gandia are celebrated for connection
with both St. Francis Xavier and St. Francis de Borgia.
One of their earliest abbesses was Mother Madeleine
Xavier, the eldest sister of the saint; hearing that her
father proposed to withdraw her brother from his theo-
logical studies, she begged him to desist, for it had been
foreshown to her that he would become the apostle of the
Indies and a great preacher of the Gospel.
John Borgia, the second Duke of Gandia, married
Donna Maria Henriquez, and had two children, John
and Isabel. John married and had several children, of
whom one afterwards became St. Francis de Borgia.
Isabel entered the Poor Clares at an early age — it is said
that, having been refused because of her youthfulness,
one day, when the door was open to admit the Holy
Viaticum, she ran in and refused to leave. When Maria
Henriquez became a widow she also entered the convent
and humbly submitted to her daughter, who was by then
abbess. The doctors had told the Duchess, who was no
longer young, and who was not strong, that she could not
survive the austerities of the cloister a year ; nevertheless
she lived thirty -three years, and had a Te Deum sung at
the end of them. St. Francis used afterwards to say that
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 299
from the time he an-. millllir II Hi Hi die his soul was
vs strong and devoted to the religious life. In the
sea of those rancis waa constantly at
•nly five years old the nuns put
him up on n 1 ho preached his first sermon.
In i« Duke of Gnndia sent his three little
re, sisters of St. Francis, into the content of Poor
\vo years of age.
daughters by his second marriage were also sent in
-are old tie cousins, aged
ii, were also entered. So that in 1569 we
find Sci ur >farie do la Croix writing to Francis Borgia,
ncral of the Jesuits children are
characters are charming ; so tweet and d<
y forget their fathers and th« ir brothers.
■ nighty, and so far they give no trouble
ioae who have charge of them." One of the children
learn grammar and how to write,
because I am going to be achool-mistreaa. Madeline it
going to be a religious; she is only two years and five
I am already big : I am seven yean old and
ng on for . Be it un .1. rstood there was no
school connected he conv. that before th<
■il of Trent it waa not unusual to have these oblate*,
as they were called, sent in at an early age to train for th«-
clois'
The Royal Monastery of Poor Clares at Madrid waa
led by the Princess Jeanne, whoae sister had married
•eror of Austria. In 1576 the Emperor died, and
Empress Marie, felt a great longing to
return to her native country and hide herself in the con-
of Poor Clares. Her daughter Margaret, aged aeven-
. asked to be allowed to go with her. Together they
set off f« l>nt when they arrived there they found
tlut the King, Philip II, had formed a wish, for political
reasons, to marry his niece Margaret —such marriages are
allowable on the Continent in certain cases. Margaret
800 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
was in despair. "The crown of Spain is for me a poor
ambition beside my desire to be a spouse of Christ ! " she
cried. Her confessor interfered in her aid, and she cm
the convent of Madrid as a novice. But, alas ! rank has
its trials : her family were always procuring dispensations
to visit her, and trying to remove her from the convent,
either for marriage or, at one time, to make her abbess
of the convent at Vienna. At last, however, she won her
wish and was professed. All the different labours of the
house were laid upon her as tests : she had to take her
turn in the kitchen and the infirmary. Her humility was
so great she rejoiced in these trials, and, having come
through them successfully, she was made mistress of
novices and then abbess. Her niece, daughter of the
Duke of Modena, joined her in the cloister. In this
convent they also venerated the name of Sister Antonia
of Jesus, who, entering at the late age of forty, for thirty
years kept the gate, and never repeated any worldly news
she heard. Several foundations were made from this
Royal Monastery in Spain, Portugal and South America.
To Father Joseph of Madrid, confessor to the Poor
Clares, we owe an old Latin Vita S. Matris Clarce, which
is of great interest.
Toledo deserves mention, because there Beatrice de
Silva in 1489 founded the Conceptionists, which Onl.-r
Father Francis Xime*nes after allied to the Clares. They
wear a white habit and blue cloak in honour of the Holy
Virgin, and also a Franciscan cord. They have the same
cardinal protector as the Clares.
To Toledo also belongs Sister Jeanne of the Cross, who
is historically interesting as a great preacher. She is said
to have preached seventy sermons in a year, some of tin m
lasting two or three hours. People travelled miles to 1
h< ! , and Cardinal Xim^nes and the Emperor Charles v.
amongst her audience. Though often spoken of as a Poor
Clare, she was really a tertiary; she, however, kept,
together with her sisters, a strict rule, and she was always
CERTAIN CONVENTS OF NOTE 301
submissive to Holy Church. In spite of suspicions she
manual to impress all who heard her with her sincerity
■
From Salamanca the first foundations in Mexico were
made, the Poor Clares sailing in the same ship with
.andcz Cortez. Salamanca had embraced the Colettiue
reform as early as 1439.
Many of the Spanish convents were very rich and cum-
bered with many worldly possessions. Valencia, for
instance, had a lot of Moorish slaves, who were recom-
Bfloded to the nuns by the Pope as souls to be converted
I saved.
m monastery at Seville is chiefly famous through its
abbess, Elenore Gusman, who, at the early age of twelve,
gave up the world and all it offered, of her own free will,
to hide in a cloister. For sixty-nine yean the lived the
tons life, an example of all the quiet virtues, and
deeply beloved by her sisters ; for forty of these yean the
acted as abbess. She died in 1589, and many yean after
l>ody was found intact, and waa removed to a tomb
within the nuns' choir.
Lisbon.
Poor Portugal has no Clares just now — but, nevei
less, the convent at Lisbon must have a notice, if for
mg else than because it was founded by the great
in historian Mark of Lisbon, Bishop of Oporto,
in 1562. The Ven. Beatrice was first abbess, and during
some of the English Clares from the Low
Countries found refuge there.
There are two Clares specially distinguished for san<
in the chronicles of Lisbon : Sister Constance of Jesus and
Sister Mary of the Assumption. Constance of Jesus was
one of eight sisters who all entered the Lisbon convent ;
for her humility and intelligence she was early elected
302 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
abbess, and was re-elected on three occasions. Her zeal
for mortification was so great that she used to command
her sisters to flagellate her. She died in 1635 in the odour
of sanctity. Mary of the Assumption ran away from home
and entered the Poor Clares, having heard a heavenly
voice declare : " Who seeks God shall find Him." She
was early made mistress of novices and then abbess — to
the latter office she was twice re-elected. She died in
1653, aged sixty.
The Poor Clare convent at Coimbra in Portugal
founded by St. Elizabeth, Queen of that country, and was
a huge and royal building. She had intended to enter as
a Poor Clare, but reasons of State made that impossible,
so she joined the Third Order, and had the privilege of
being buried in the habit of the Second Order in 1336.
1APTER XIII
POESY AND POVERTY
J acoim ie noblest poem that has
been wi lie "Btabat Mater"— wrote a homely
i to Santa Chiara. He probably never aaw
1 larc, for ahe waa dead before his dramatic conversion
m 1987. Matthew Arnold has told the story, how
Jacopour
■ ! n hi* light youth Amid a festal throng
Sato with his bride to see s public show.
Fair was the bride, and on her front did glow
•h hkesHtar, and what to youth belong—
Oay raiment, sparkling gauds, elation strong.
A prop gare way ! crash fell a platform
Mid struggling sufferers, hurt to death, she ley.
Shuddering they drew her garments off and found
""■** A robe of eaokcloth next the smooth white skin."
The husband never got over the shock of his loss; and
the knowledge of his wife's secret austerities drew him to
stony path He sold all he had and gave it to the
poor, and became a Franciscan tertiary first, and a I
bud* v. And if he never knew Francis and Clare
personally be caught their spirit thoroughly, and the Lady
Poverty never had a truer lover.
There are seventeen verses to the Chiara lauda, of which
the first, second, fifth, ninth and sixteenth are given here
in Italian and in a rough translation —
303
804 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
A SANTA CHIARA
Argomento, Discorre e commenda la virtuosa Evangelic* vita di
Santa Chiara d'Assisi.
(1) O Vergin Clara luce,
Che da la santa croce
Avanti die sij nata,
Fusti prenunciata
A tua divota Madre,
Che saresti a tue squadre alto splendore.
(2) Mostrasti clara luce
Nella terra Asis-ana,
Specchio e f on tana d'aspra penitenza.
Dopo Fraucesco duce
A la gente Christiana
In frutto e grana di gran patienza.
Con istretta estinenza
E ferma obedienza
II tuo corpo affligenda,
Crocifigendo ogni tuo volontade
Di lunie divertade dai candore.
(6) Non volesti marito
Del Mondo fraudolente,
A Dio viventi li sei disponsata ;
Aveati il cor enfuto
Di Christo omnipontente
Francesco ardente, e'n castita format*.
Ti aveva sperse frnta
Fortementa enfiammata,
Di darti a penitenza,
E star ad obedienza e'n provertade,
Servando castitade con anion? .
(9) Tu Povertate santa,
Tue sore soccorresti,
E non patesti aver necessitade ;
Frati e sore cinquanta
D'un sol pane pascesti
E l'olio destt'di tua largitade.
O Santa Castitade,
Per cui asperitade
Nulla gia ti era dura
Domae la came pura in astinenza
Di penitenza non ti era dolore.
POESY AND POVERTY 805
(16) O Vergin Clara stella,
De U superna curia
Haggi memoria di noi peccaturi.
Obtien dal Re di gloria
Ch'sggram vittoria do tre oati dun.
8entiam di quell' amore
ual piano d'ardore
Franoeaoo tn'ha rhiamati.
E invitati a U none daU' Agnallo
Che a guatae quello 8ani ogni languore.
O Virgin, dearest light,
rhom from Holy Oroaa
Before thy day of birth
It wart divinely told
hy devoted mother,
That thou ahouldst ahine abroad a guiding
Thy l.K'l.t
Thy town of sweet
Fountain and mirror thou, of ■harpaat
Aftar Franeia leader
Of the Christian peoples.
The fruit to reap from aaad of sufferance.
h sbstinence moat rigid.
And with obedianoe steadfast,
AiBioting thue thy body,
Dtefeaj. cru<ifjii)e»,
Thy truth was yet thy joyanoe.
No husband would you have
From this deceitful world,
The living God thine only Spouse.
In thy heart reigned supreme
The Christ omnipotent ;
And Francis, thy dear brother, with chastity inflamed than.
And oft did he incite thee,
Uer ruth to pledge thee.
And steadfast in obedienoa
And strict in poverty
To be the lowly servant of love and chastity.
Thou poor one ever saintly,
Thou succouredst thy sisters,
And to have need thou wouldst not Buffer them
306 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
Brothers and sisters fifty
With one small loaf thou feedest,
And of sufficient oil thou gavest them.
O chastity most holy,
Who sufferedst all hardship,
And found the rough way smooth.
Thy body was made pure by abstinence,
And naught was pain to thee in penitence.
O clear and radiant star,
Look down on us from heaven.
We sinners need thy prayers.
And thou sweet maiden Agnes
Obtain from King of Glory
Our victory o'er our foes :
May us that love illumine
Which Francis full of fervour
Inspired in his poor friars.
Invite us to the feast-day of the Lamb,
And we shall eat, and hunger never more.
Tis but a poor translation ! but we have not the won-
drous Franciscan pen of Anne Macdonnell, from whose
Sons of Francis we take the following —
M Hear, sweetest Poverty,
All our love is due to thee.
Little Poverty, tender thing,
Humility's own sisterling,
For eating and drinking and everything
One bowl contenteth thee.
At her table she eats of the best,
Bread and water and herbs with zest.
If there comes from without a guest,
A pinch of Bait adds she.
Poverty, thou wisdom deep,
Holding all possession cheap,
Thy will that thou fast bound dost keep
Springs up in liberty. ..."
And in another song to Poverty Jacopone cries —
" Povertate e nulla havere
Et nulla oosa poi volere
Et onine oosa possidere
En Spirito de liber Ute."
POESY AND POVERTY
;st one last quotation —
" God does not lodge in narrow heart ;
Lore claims the whole and spurns the part.
Greathearted one, where'er thou art,
Thou sfcsHsTSSt Deity '
11 1. My ncal Marriage of St. Francis with Madonna
is a fav many of the early Fran-
ciscans, and Unite gives it eternal shape in Canto X
tli- I »—
" She reft of her first husband, scorned, obscure.
One thousand and a hundred years and More,
Waited without a suitor till he came.
Naught it availed that she was found secure.
With that Amyclas when the voice was heard.
Which made the world with terror-pangs endure.
Naught it availed that she nor shrank nor feared ;
80 that, when Mary stall remained below.
She mounted np with Christ upon the Gross 1
But lest I tell it too obscurely so,
By these two lovers, in my speech diffusa,
Thou Poverty and Francis now may'st know."
vealth unknown ! O veritable good ! "
exclaims Dante further on in the canto— and in the
Convito he quotes Lucan' s story of Amyclas the fisher-
man, who was found lying on a bed of seaweed by Caesar,
secure in his poverty, and unmoved by the revolutions of
times: "And therefore the wise man says that the
traveller, empty-banded, on his way would sing in the
presence of robbers. And that is what Lucan r<
to in his fifth book when he commends the security of
poverty, saying : ' O safe condition of poverty ! 0 narrow
us and hovels! 0 riches of the Gods not yet
i stood ! At what times and at what walls could it
happen, the not being afraid of any noise, when the hand
osar was knocking? ' And this, says Lucan, when he
describes how Caesar came by night to the hut of the
fisherman Amyclas, to pass the Adrian Sea."
It is to Dante we owe one of the most beautiful pictures
x a
308 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
of a Poor Clare— that of Piccarda Donati, in Canto III of
the Paradiso. Poor Piccarda was torn by force from her
convent and given in marriage to Rossellino della Corso.
After the marriage ceremony she threw herself, in an
agony of grief and prayer, at the feet of the crucifix. Her
prayer was heard — her body became covered in leprosy,
and the marriage was never consummated. The whole
canto is very beautiful, and the brief account of St. Clare,
beginning " A faultless life," must be noted. In this canto
also occurs the perfect line —
" In la sua volontade e nostra pace."
— " In his will is our peace."
The following translation is by A. E. Nellen —
" Straight to the Shadow, which for converse seem'd
Most eager, I address'd me : and began
As one whom too great longing doth confound.
4 O Spirit born for joy ! who in the rays
Of life eternal dost that sweetness feel
Which he who tastes not ne'er can fully know ;
Grateful 'twill be to me wouldst thou content
Me with thy name and with thy destiny.'
1 Our charity doth no more bar the gate
To a just wish than doth that love above
Which would have all its court like to itself.
I was a virgin sister in the world
And if thy memory be rightly searched,
My greater beauty will not hide me from thee,
But thou shalt recognize, I am Piccarda,
Who, placed here with the other blessed ones,
Am blessed in sphere that moves most tardily.
All our affections that alone do burn
In the joy perfect of the Spirit blest,
Rejoice, as each his order's mark doth bear.
And this condition, which appears so low,
Is therefore given us because our vows
Have been neglected and in some part void.'
Whence I to her replied : ' Something divine
Shines in your countenance most wondrous fair
Transfiguring thee from what I recollect,
And therefore my remembrance was so slow.
But what thou tellest me now aids me bo
That to retrace thy form is easier.
POESY AND POVERTY 309
But tell me, ye whoee blessedness is hers,
ye desire to gain s loftier place,
to behold, and mors in love to dwell T '
She with those other spirits gently smiled ;
Thereafter answered me so foil of
She seemed to burn with the first flams of lovs.
' Brother our will is quieted by power
Of chanty, that makes us wish alone
For what ws have, nor gives us thirst for mors.
If ws desired to pass on higher still
Our aspirations would discordant be
Unto the will of Him who sets us hers.
This thoowilt see in these spheres hath no place,
If love be still the one thing needful hers.
And if her nature well thou contemplate.
Nay 'tis the essence of this blessed being
To hold ourselves within the will divine,
Whereby our own wills are themselves mads ons.
80 our whole realm re joioeth in the way
As doth ths King whose will doth our wills sway.
And His will is our peace. This is ths sss
To which is moving onward whatsoe'er
It doth create, and all that nature makes.'
Full clearly then her words to ms did prove
How everywhere in Heaven is Paradise,
Though not on all alike God's grace doth poor.
(Dante now asks bow it wss that Piocarda had broken
her vow, and what had been the effects of that broken vow
on her state in heaven)—
' A faultless life and merit high in hesvsn
A lady o'er us,' said she, * by whose rule
Down in yoor world they clothe and veil themselves
That they may watch and sleep, tall death they gain.
Beside that 8pooas who every vow accepts
Which love to His good pleasure doth constrain.
To follow hsr, I from ths world escaped,
While yet a girl, and in her habit clothed
To take her Order's path I vowed myself.
Thereafter men, more osed to ill than good,
Tore me from out the cloister's sweet retreat.
God knows what afterward my life became ! ' "
The following extract ig taken from a rhymed life of
St. Clare. It was written by a poetess of the fourteenth
810 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
century, who probably was a nun of the Order, for she
ends her poem with the Latin words : " Orate pro ancilla
Dei quae composuit." The poem consists of 484 short
lines, and is divided into stanzas. It is in the old Italian
of the thirteenth century, which is half Latin, as in the
canticles of St. Francis. The following are the first
twelve lines of the poem —
" Cum core e voce chiara
Cum mente innamorata
Laudiamo sancta Chiara
In cielo coronata.
O luce resplendente,
O stella matudina,
O apecchio relucente,
O gemma celestina,
Per volunta divina
Del summo Patre eterno
Nel utero materno
Ben Chiara sei chiamata."
" With heart and cheerful voice
With love let us rejoice,
And praise the saintly Clare ;
Crowned is she in the skies
Round her light eternal lies,
Oh morning star so fair !
Oh clearest of mirrors,
Oh gem without errors,
Clare, clear of all sin
Clare named before birth,
God declaring thy worth,
Whilst the womb thou wast in."
There is a pretty rhymed ending in old French to a
1563 edition of Thomas of Celano's official legend of St.
Clare. Here are a few lines of the French, and a transla-
tion of the whole —
" En ce petic et simple livre
Par bon vouloir ay fait es cripre
La vie pure et du tout clere
Do notre mere saincte Clere,
Clere de non et bien plus d'oeuvres
Par quoy ces filles par bonnes oeuvres !
POESY AND POVERTY 811
D'un saint desire volonte pare
La merciront a toatee heures."
" In thin small and simple book
With goodwill I have described
The pure and ever brilliant life
Of our Mother, Holy Clare,
Clear in name, in fame renowned.
Forjwhich her daughters by good works,
h pure desire and holy will.
Give thanks to her at every hoar.
An for me, with right good heart
• h all honour 111 her serve ;
From her bright name, Clare I'm called
But my surname is • de Bruyeres.' *
And the heather low and humble
Bears a flower fall of charm.
And even in most arid sod.
In the heart of desert wastes
Fall often doth it take its root.
Thus also should we take oar root
In the cloister's holy desert*
That we the nourishment amy gain
Which wine for as the Life Eternal—
For we all must die to live.
He that hath this book inscribed
Inecribeth it before bis death.
KM lau-st lK.-hew .t w.thout *o.m
That Francis ever yearns for death.
Brother Francie is he named
And his surname ia du Pais.*
Ah those men and maids who reed
The life of Holy Clare should hold
Of the writer some remembrance.
Also of me, your humble father,
And of my beloved Bruyeres
May God preserve them evermore
A 11 my little flock entire.
To whom at length may our God yield
In holy heaven, place and room ;
Such that beside you, Brother Claude,
Together may we praise our God
Upon that pleasant Hill of Sion.
A play on the word " heather." * A play on the word " death."
812 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
In secula seculorum
Puteus aquarum viventiura
Pray for tlie writer."
Then occurs the following note : " Pray for the vener-
able and virtuous religious named Sister Clare of Bruyeres,
abbess of the devout convent of the Lady St. Clare at
Seurre, who has caused this present work to be written
by Brother Francis Dupuis of the Order of Friars Minor."
From the souvenir of the silver jubilee of the Poor
Clares of Indianapolis we cull the following two strophes —
•'A week of centuries has flown
Since Clare was born by God's decree
To grace His Church, and there be known
A peerless gem of sanctity.
Her youth was spent in wealthy bowers ;
But cared she ought for fame or gold ?
For higher things she plied her powers
And pledged to Christ a love untold."
We must not forget St. Colette : she, too, has her little
posies of verse ; the following is from the hymn for the
vespers of St. Colette —
" Rise up, sweet Dove, from this foul earth,
And on swift wing to Heaven take flight ;
To where thy Jesus calleth thee
In the bright realms and starry light.
Clad in a white and dazzling robe,
Wearing a crown of lilies fair,
Thou, ever following the Lamb,
Wilt in the song of virgins share."
But the hymn of Matins pleases us better —
" Of virgins the glory and crown and support,
Who of virginal Father and Mother wast born,
O Christ, ever Virgin, our praises accept,
This roseate morn.
Thou deignedst Thyself, in her yet tender years,
Colette for Thy bride, a pure virgin to take ;
She loves Thee, Thee only, and everything else
Condemns for Thy sake.
POESY AND POVERTY 313
That for Thee ever chaste she her body may keep,
She tortures with "K^in1*** her delicate limbs,
And gladly spends nights without sleep, while she sues
Thee with suppliant hymns.
She follows in poverty Him who was poor ;
• joyfully gives up the riches of earth.
She seeks by retirement to re-live with the Saints,
a heavenly birth."
In the office of St. Clare f 2th of August there
are some hymns, one of which is an abridged history of
We quote the first two verses from Petto
Rodulfjhiu, Hist. Seraph. —
"Salve Christi spouse, Clara,
Salve virgo Deo chars,
Salve M*tirr paoperuui.
Tu mundi
The anthem of St. Clare is by Jacopone —
we mater humins,
AnsDs orncit I
Clara virgo nobilia,
Discipula Franeisoi.
Ad oaslestem gloriam
Fac nos proAoisoL Amen."
Thni tin re is the hymn for the lauds of St. Francis —
rough and joyous and rhythmic, as it ought to be—
"O little flock of poor, rejoice !
Rich in your father's poverty,
With all your heart, with all your voice
Poor forth his praise unceasingly."
Ami the well-known Catholic hymn which begins —
" Blessed Francis, holy Father,
Now our hearts to thee we raise.
As we gather round thine altar,
Pouring forth our hymn of praise.
Bless thy children, holy Father,
Who thy mighty help implore,
For in heaven thou remainest,
Still the father of the poor."
314 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
How it heartens one up in this greedy, grabbing age to
hear the praises and pleasures of poverty thus sung !
Let us turn now to the New World, and learn how
Bliss Carman from Canada's shores can echo the old
Italian strain ; we must not steal the whole of the Word
at St. Kavin's, but here are a few choice verses —
" Thank God for Poverty
That makes and keeps us free,
That lets us go our unobtrusive way,
Glad of the sun and rain,
Upright, serene, humane,
Contented with the fortune of a day.
For I would shun no task
That kindliness may ask,
Nor flinch at any duty to my kind ;
Praying but to be freed
From ignorance and greed,
Grey fear, and dull despondency of mind.
And I would keep my soul
Joyous and sane and whole,
Unshamed by falsehood, and unvexed by strife
Unalien in that clear
That radiant atmosphere
That still surrounds us in the larger life.
All selfish gain at best
Brings but profound unrest,
And inward loss, despite our loud professions.
Think, therefore, what it is
What surety of bliss
To be absolved from burdensomo possessions."
Canon Rawnsley, amongst Anglicans, has best felt
the Franciscan call, and he shows it in On the Way to
Rivo Torto—
"Then through the elms I heard a little bell,
Not that great thunderer — St. Francesco's pride,
Nor the deep bell beneath the purple dome,
That marks and mocks the ' Little Portion's ' home,
A bell that speaks as if an angel cried,
The bell that rings where Clara used to dwell.
POESY AND POVKRTY 315
And as it rings, beside a rose in flower.
The sweet wild rose thai touches every heart,
I see a grey monk kneeling in the way ;
Be prays, and knows St. Clara too will pray,
Walks with her soul towards heaven in peace and power.
The dream has vanished, but in all the plain
Henceforth there is M peJt s<» ittftSftl
love as this, where moving up and down
beg for alma in old Assisi's town
Called by the bell above 8t. Damien's gate,
St Francis quite forgot his life-long pain.
And still each time with blearing in the air
For those who pass down Rivo Torto's way
I inkling bell of Damien's church may sound,
There on his kneea 8t. Francis will be found
Aa happy as a lover, sworn to pray
And work with one God gave him, 8iater Clare."
!- is not to the Poor Clare that one needs to praise
poverty— she knows. But one would like very seriously
to ask the general reader bow much peace be or she finds
in the present idolatry of the superfluous? For it is the
great mass of people who suffer to-day from owning
things.
The late William James, Professor of Philosophy at
Harvard, put this matter very straightly, and where the
preacher is unheeded the philosopher may sometimes
make himself heard : " Among us English-speaking
peoples especially do the praises of poverty need once
more to be boldly sung. We have grown literally afraid
to be poor. We despise any one who elects to be poor in
r to simplify and save his inner life. If be does not
join in the general scramble, and pant with the money-
making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in
ambition. We have lost the power even of imagining
what the ancient idealization of poverty could have meant.
>n from material attachments, the unbridled
soul, the manlier indifference, the paying our way by
what we are or do, and not by what we have, the right
816 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
to fling away our life at any moment irresponsibly, the
more athletic trim, in short, the moral fighting shape.
"I recommend this matter to your serious pondering,
for it is certain that the prevalent fear of poverty among
the educated classes is the worst moral disease from which
our civilization suffers."
< BAPTRB xiv
THE DEATH OP THE POOR CLARE
W'k had been lunching in one of the Frauciscan con-
fci at Am li bad been a school, but to which,
alas! but few scholars now come. At the end of the
simple meal the "President©" came in to greet us, and
ted on changing our plates and offering the last dish
with her own hands. Then she wished to show us the
pel. Wo went upstairs along the cool stone passages
ami through an open door into a plain little chapel— but
with a large west window, from floor to ceiling, thrown
open to a most wonderful view over the Umbrian plain.
A c 1 1. 1 1 in I uun looked up from her prayer-book and
smiled at us, and chatted awhile about the chapel. "And
now I must go on with my prayers for the sister who is
dead," she said, and she nodded towards a notice-board
just within the door. I went and looked, and there was
a brief black-edged notice requesting prayers for the soul
Poor Clare, for sixty -two years in religion, who had
that morning. The notice did not give the name in
world— nor the years in the world. All that mattered
was those sixty-two years of prayer — those sixty-two years
of seclusion and fasting and penance. The next morning
I slipped along to Santa Chiara, and there in the cold bare
church was the catafalque, with some peasants and priests
watching. I suppose the sisters were somewhere behind
a grating whence they could take a last farewell of that
<>f their number who was leaving the cloister after
sixty-two years. Of old the nuns were always buried
within the convent grounds, but that is now forbidden in
most Italian cities — all burials must be without the walls.
Some of the many confraternities of Franciscans gathered
117
818 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
shortly, many of them in quaint brown garb and carrying
banners. Then, with mournful singing of Litanies and
the Dies Ires, the procession passed through the town,
out of the Porta St. Giacomo to the new cemetery where
the nuns have a corner of their own. Alone in life ! Alone
in death! The custody of the eyes now fast sealed, and
no vision of those lovely hills and valleys beneath the
cemetery, or of those quaint streets through which we
passed. And men — all men — to sing and pray, and follow
that strange funeral of an enclosed nun.
Another memory comes to us of the funeral of a Poor
Clare at Alassio— but there children in white veils were
following.
Death often comes late to a Poor Clare : the hardships
only seem to harden and strengthen once the first
years are passed. We find the following cases of longevity
in their annals —
Sister Innocent of Todi, entered the reformed convent
at Foligno when she was already old. and died there in
1476, aged one hundred and five years, with a reputation
for sanctity.
Sister Claude Kavenez of St. Claude died on Good
Friday 1638, aged ninety-six years (Poligny annals).
Sister Jeanne, widow, of Lerena in Spain, entered wfaeo
fifty, and died a nonagenarian in 1496. She is noted for
her austerities.
Mother Mary Joseph, last abbess of Seurre, died on tin
25th of August, 1856, aged ninety-eight — she also had a
great reputation for virtue and sanctity.
Sister Constance Parpendet, who during the Revolution
preserved the relics of St. Colette, died in 1847, aged
eighty-nine years.
Mother Winifred Giffard, abbess of the English CI
at Rouen, died in 1706, aged ninety years.
The first abbess of Lyons died at the age of one hundivd
and seven, and two other abbesses reached the ages of
eighty-six and eighty-eight.
THE DEATH OF THE POOR CLARE 319
r does exile — from country or even from clo^ter —
• the aged Clare from making a good death. In I
lurks took the island of Minorca and burnt the con-
of Poor Clares. They carried off Sister Catherine
rieooer to Constantinople. Here this nun, who
wu apparently <-i Knglish birth, eahnly kept the rule as
far as possible — fasting always, repeating the office, going
foot. She was soon set at hUrty, and secretly she
uch small children as she could get hold of the
elements of the Christian religion. She died in 1634 at
the age of seventy.
Of one of the Oravelines nuns— a fugitive from England,
and . «■*)* lied from Holland— it is recorded
that she the age of seventy, and that for the last
twenty years of hat Iwlisud life she was quite blind, but
she was always recollected and content, and passed cheer-
to Paradise.
The Poor Clares carefully record that it is those who
have practised fa moat t \tn m<- ah.-tineiuv \\\u»r names
r in these records. Mere Marie de lTnnnaculee
>n, for instance, who reached the age of eighty-
six, never departed from the strict fast, even when, in
I, she had to fly to Germany during the Fr
Revolution. In fact, she was more strict than t
she never partook of the evening collation, but lived
always on the one meal a day.
ere is a story told of one of the nuns of the Annuncia-
>etors said, would certainly di« if
lid not break the rule to go to certain baths, etc., and
Id as certainly live if disp used from the ml. The
case was put befon the (ieneral of tho Order.
" Moriatur." was the swift and brief decision
But the dooteti were not always true prophets as to
the illness of the Poor Clares : Mere Bonne de Paris, one
of the three foundresses of Marseilles, was told by three
doctors she must soon die unless she submitted to t
treatment and dietary : she refused, and revelation was
320 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
granted her that seven days without food would cure her :
she fasted and lived — to the very fair age of sixty-six. A
similar story is told of Mother Colette of St. Francis, who
died in the odour of sanctity in 1692. Shortly after she
took the habit the doctors said she must partake of meat
soups or die ; she preferred to risk her life to breaking the
rule. She was cured and lived long. "The same thing
has happened to many Poor Clares," calmly record their
annals. Indeed, we cannot but remember the same thing
happening to a noted playwright in our day ; a convinced
vegetarian, he was supposed to have tubercular disease of
the bones of the foot, and was ordered beef-tea and meat
diet. "If it is to be a question as to whether I am to
die, or the animals are to die for me to feed on them, I
accept death," said Shaw. And then, in his usual para-
doxical way, proceeded to live.
From the few Poor Clares of great age we have had the
privilege of speaking to, the most striking fact has been
the clearness of mind ; one cannot help thinking that the
simple and scanty diet leaves these saints in good trim,
not only physically, but mentally and spiritually, and aids
them to pierce the veil that clouds the senses of those who
live in the turmoil and luxury of the world.
Nothing seems able to dim the joys of death to a Poor
Clare. In Les Foules de Lourdes Huysmans writes of his
visit to the Clarisses there : " They told me last year of
one of these saints afflicted with such a swelling that she
resembled a fire-balloon rather than a woman ; she was in
such a terrible state she could not rest either sitting or
lying. It was not dropsy — I don't know what it was — but
she died radiant, and envied by all her companions."
Some of the Latin phrases in the old chronicles of the
convents which tell of the coming of death are very beauti-
ful. "Ad sponsum evolavit die 4 Decembris anno 1598"
is recorded of Sister Virginia of Norcia; and "Ad astra
migravit die 19 Maii, 1669," of Sister Mary- Antony of the
same town.
THE DEATH 01 THE POOR CLARE 321
It will be rem. that within the la ears
a Poor (laic at Netting Hill neces-
■ it then came out that the
doctor who attended the nuns was a Protestant, and was
1 with th* attention and care given to his
1 1 was necessary for two of the sisters to at
he coroner on this occasion, and they did so.
listing on, for some Protestants seem
to t dink that the laws of the land are ignored in convents :
so far as registrations of death, etc., are concerned, of
cours' fulfil, and do fulfil, the law.
And if death cannot come too late, neither can it come
too early, for a Poor Clare ; it is ever welcome, this open-
ing of the door to Paradise In the Life of Cardinal
than by Snead-Cox we have a wonderful picture of
fiis sister, Clare Vaughan, at Amiens in 1862,
n she was nineteen years old and had only been a
novice for nine months. She was carried into the church ,
aughan saw her, though she herself kept
her eyes fixed on the Blessed Sacrament. Next day he
uave her Communion. He writes to
their tat -i intensely happy; nothing could
exceed her joy." She herself writes to her uncle : " I have
glorious ne tcs to tell you —that I may hope in a few days
to see my Celestial Spouse in heaven, and to gaze on that
face the beauty of which no words can tell. . . . The
doctor says that not only my chest, but everything in my
body is attacked ... it is unspeakable happiness."
The story of the very end is told by the nuns who sur-
rounded this "blessed child," as they call her.
The abbess said to * ourage, my child, courage !
Death is near, and the crown will soon follow."
"It is very easy," she replied with sweet, innocent
gaiety, "to say ' Courage, Clare, courage,' when one only
sees Paradise through a little hole ! "—and she held up her
hand, half closed, letting only a little circle of light show
ugh it.
322 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
It reminds one of Fuller's phrase about St. Monica :
"Drawing near her death, her soul saw a glimpse of
happinesse through the chincks of her sicknesse-broken
body."
Clare Vaughan said later on : " When I get to Paradise
I shall be wild with joy. I shall throw myself into the
arms of the Blessed Virgin, and when the angels look
astonished I shall say, 'Oh, if you had lived on earth an
exile and suffered in a mortal body as I have, you would
be transported with joy as I am, since that body, which
separated me from my Beloved, has fallen to pieces."
She died on the 20th of January. Amongst the letters
left by her was found the following —
"O Jesus, my sweet, my only love ! hear the prayer of
a most unworthy sinner, your little child, your betrothed,
your spouse. By your loving heart, by your sacrament of
love, allow my chest to be soon attacked, that I may die,
that I may go to you, my only love, my dear, dear Master,
my Beloved. I am infinitely unworthy that you should
hear me, a miserable sinner. But I trust in your immense
love and in your mercy. I know, 0 Jesus, that I shall
not be confounded. 0 Jesus, increase my faith. My only
and sweet Love, bless me, and have mercy on your devoted
and most unworthy spouse,
" Sister of the Infant Jesus,
"Victim of the most Holy Sacrament."
God grant to us to live as cheerfully and die as gladly
as a Poor Clare.
APPENDIX
Chronological Table.
117". Thomas* Becket muni. red.
1194. St. Clare bom Richard C(Bur de Lion is a
prifi* Suhulin.
1198. Innocent III, Pope.
1 9 1 9 Clare takes tows ; is joined by her sister Agnes.
1J1.V Community granted title of "Poor Ladies."
Magna Charts signed.
1219. Agnes goes to Florence ss abbess.
1224. Cardinal Ugolino drafts rule and gets it Ml
tied. Stigmata of St. Francis.
16. Death of St. Francis. St. Louis ascends the
throne of France.
1227. Gregory IX, Pope.
1228. Canonisation of St. Francis.
1230. Clare confounds Saracens.
1236. Agnes of Bohemia takes the veil.
I >eath of St. Clare (there were seventy convents
xistence in different parts of Europe).
5. Canonization of St. Clare. Isabelle of France
founds Longchamps.
1265. Dante born. Bona venture modifies rule and
allows possessions.
fO. Giotto born.
1293. Clares established a' riflt, London.
1384. There were 404 convents, of which 251 were in
Italy. There were about 15,000 Clares.
1404. Bernardino of Sienna begins his reforms.
1406. St. Colette begins her reforms.
1413. St. Catherine of Bologna born.
1 192. Louise of Savoy takes the veil at Orbe.
1517. Leo X unites Franciscan reforms.
1521. Luther at the Diet of Worms.
1538. Dissolution of the monasteries in England.
»
324 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
1649. Charles I beheaded.
1700. Poor Clares of Geneva expelled.
1727. St. Veronica Guiliani died.
1739. French Revolution.
1818. Discovery of Francis's shrine.
1850. Clare-Colettines come to Baddesley, England.
Discovery of St. Clare's shrine.
1872. Translation of St. Clare's body to crypt.
1877. Poor Clares established in the United States.
1906. Publication of Histoire Abrige'e de VOrdre de
Sainte Claire at Lyons.
1907. There were 518 convents of Clares in different
parts of the world ; number of Clares about
10,000.
Testament of St. Clare.
I. Among the many graces we have received, and con-
tinue to receive, from our Lord, the Father of Mercies,
there is one before all others for which we should show Him
our gratitude : and this is the grace of our vocation. For,
inasmuch as it is the most perfect, so much the more does
it claim our gratitude. We should remember always the
words of St. Paul to the first Christians : " Know thy
vocation." The Son of God has called us to Himself, and
the acts and words of the blessed St. Francis, His true
lover and follower, have brought us to this day by the
narrowest path. Let us therefore, dear sisters, not forget
the benefits the Lord has granted to us, and especially
this grace of vocation which He has deigned to share with
us through His great servant the blessed Francis. Soon
after his conversion, when he as yet had neither com-
panions nor sisters, he was repairing the church of St.
Damian, and, becoming possessed by the Holy Spirit, he
foretold to the poor men dwelling near all that has come
to pass. Speaking to them in the French tongue, he said :
" Come here, brothers ; help me in building this convent of
St. Damian, for here will dwell some ladies, through
whose piety our Heavenly Father will be glorified through-
out all His holy Church."
II. And our blessed father predicted this not only of
ourselves, but of all who by their holy lives should become
APPENDIX 325
sharers of our lot. So, my sisters, with what fervour,
with what faith and perseverai uld we keep the
commandments of God and t of our holy founder,
that we may appear before our Judge on t h« with
ntrusted to us multiplied ! We 1,
chosen by Him to be the example ami mirror of tin
faithful and of those sisters who will be called to our
Hon. that they also in t h. if turn may be a holy
mple of virtuous lift-. \\\h for these m«
ire doubly bound to bless the 1 praise Him,
and t<> follow Hun in all things, asking His divine assist-
ance in all things.
Ill Not 1 the conversion of the most blessed
a few companions, promised voluntary
s most precious grace manifested to me.
Then our blessed ncis gave thanks to the Lord,
ug moved with compassion for me and my sisters,
knowing well we were weak and yet we had not refused
id humiliations, promised to us his
together with that of his religious.
Thus by the will of the most high God and of our blessed
Francis we the monastery of 8t.
Damian. ami t! Lord deigned to increase Hi
grace, so that the profession servant should take
place.
IV. About h. blessed Francis gave us in
writing "in- rets of hf<\ whieh esp xhorts us to
perseverance in holy He not only helped us in
•us own SHamph and instructions, hut left US,
beside the rule, many written precepts I thereto,
so th his drath it should be difficult for us to leave
the path he had marked out for us. And we have faith-
fully promises, following m the steps of the Son
< >d and of our blessed Fa . who chose
tor ! on of all earthly possessions.
V. 1. Glare, unworthy servant of Jesus Christ and of
the I'oor Servants of St. Damian, have twice voluntarily
bound myself to 1 1 rfSDOS «>f the holy Lady Poverty,
so that after mv death the sisters may not on any pretence
depart from it. And to make sure our profession should
not be altered 1 1 its confirmation by our holy
r, Pope Innocent 111. under whose pontificate our
Order began .
VI. I recommend my sisters, present and future, to the
326 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
successor of the Blessed Francis, our father and founder,
and to all his religious, that they may help us to serve
God in holy poverty by their example and instructions, and
I pray them in deepest humility to see that, frail plants
as we are, we may never swerve from our sacred purpose.
If it should happen any sisters leave this monastery to go
elsewhere, I fervently desire they should keep this rule in
all strictness and integrity.
VII. Also I exhort all my sisters, in the name of Jesus
Christ, to walk continually in the path of holy simplicity,
humility and poverty, and in holy intercourse to observe
a discretion such as our blessed St. Francis always taught
us. Only by means of these virtues, through the mercy
of Him. who has chosen us for this great destiny, can we
spread abroad the odour of a good reputation. Love one
another in Jesus Christ, and make this love show itself
outwardly in good works ; thus the sisters, incited by your
example, will grow in love to God and their neighbour.
I pray also for her who has to govern others, that she may
so raise herself above them more by modesty and virtues
than by the dignity of office, causing thus her sisters to
obey her more through love than through duty. Let her
also have the tenderness and watchfulness over her
spiritual daughters that a good mother has over her own
children; let her be humble, kindly and accessible in
manner to them, so that they may not fear at all times
to open their hearts to her on all occasions. And the
sisters should remember that for the love of God they
have renounced their own will and have promised willingly
and unreservedly obedience to their mother, so that she,
finding love, humility and concord among you, may feel
the burden of her charge lightened and made less
troublesome.
VIII. Let us take care, O my sisters, that after having
embraced the life of strictness and holy living we may
not depart from it through carelessness or ignorance, in
so doing causing harm to our Lord, and to our blessed St
Francis, and to the Holy Church, whose eyes are fixed on
our conduct. It is written : " Accursed are those who
abandon Thy commandments," wherefore, kneeling
humbly, I pray our Lord to grant us the grace of final
perseverance, through the merits of the Holy Mother, and
of the blessed St. Francis, and of all the saints. Amen.
IX. 0 dearly loved sisters, present and future, I leave
APPENDIX 327
these things in writing that they may be better remem-
bered by each of you, in token of the blessing of the Lord
of our most" blessed Father St. Francis. 1 remain
your mother and your servant .
be authenticity of the Testament and of the following
both been <)uestioned, but they seem t
ton ayers to the " Five Wounds " we have
omitted, as the authorship is certainly very questionable.)
The Blessing op St. Clam.
the name of the most Holy Trinity. Amen. May
the Omnipotent God bless you, dear sisters, may 11
make His countenance to shine upon you, and have
on you ; may He give you His peace.
And not only you who may be present at my death, but
also all those absent ; also every one who after you shall
v Order, and shall persevere unto the end in her
vocation— be it in this convent, or any other of the same
ssion. I therefore, Clare, useless servant of Jesus
Miiiv, orthy plant let of our Father St. Francis ; I , your
sister and m ay the Lord God for His most loving
compassion, and by the intercession of the most Blessed
Virgin Mary, His mother, and the Archangel Michael,
our guardian angels, and our Seraphic Father, that
1 1 may grant you His blessing, and tnus confirm from
heaven that which I leave you in Hk name. May He
i to | -Mi- out on you here on earth the abundance of
grace, to call you to heaven, admitting you to the
choir of the saints who enjoy the Beatific Vision.
I give you my blessing at present while alive, and con-
firm it after my death. I leave you all the benedictions
in, and I implore them for you from that God
> lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Maxims op St. Clare.
We give here briefly some of Clare's favourite maxims
which she followed in the governing of her nuns —
She who enters the cloister must forget the world, and
speak no more of it, and she will be free from many
dangers.
328 ST. CLARE AND HER ORDER
He alone who is deaf to the noise of the age can ascend
as far as the secrets of the great King Jesus Christ.
Whoever does not forget relations, friends and country
does not love Christ truly. Jesus will be the only one,
and one cannot serve two masters.
The life and passion of Jesus Christ, which we should
imitate, is the book of the religious person.
Melancholy is poison to devotion : it dries up the veins
of the spirit, it takes away its internal heat, destroys its
strength, and renders it incapable of religious exercises.
Melancholy is good only when with tears, a contrite
heart and humility ; one does penance for one's sins.
Tears are not always signs of true repentance ; they can
be also signs of desperation , and in this case they are only
daughters of self-love.
When one is in tribulation it is necessary to be
more happy and more gay, because one is then nearer to
God.
Sorrows and sufferings are nothing in comparison to the
glory which awaits us in recompense.
Riches are a weight which always draws down the soul ,
being the fount of many ills ; poverty is the real good.
Original purity is such a precious gem that one can
never labour too much to preserve it.
Ah ! how many temptations are born from idle dis-
courses; bridle, therefore, the tongue.
Silence is for the nuns almost a shield which renders
them impenetrable to many external assaults.
A nun, far from using superfluous words, should hardly
use those necessary.
The mouth of a nun always ready to chatter is like a
house the door of which is open to the thieves who want
to devastate it.
Penance and fasting are necessary to subjugate the
flesh ; thus alone the spirit acquires liberty, and is capable
of great flights.
The attention of a superior should be turned more to the
young than to the old, because young plants have the
greater need of culture.
When one recites the Divine Office, then one is in tin
company of the angels, and one speaks with God ; banish,
therefore, every other thought.
Do not let murmuring be heard among you, O
daughters, and far from you be stinging and biting words ;
APPENDIX 329
charity bears with the Aafeoti of others, and i
excuses them and hides them.
Where charity is, is peace; where peace is, is God.
(Loccatelli.)
Bn my.
I'll, chief books consulted have been —
■)*8 Life of St. ( liT> . of uhirh two English trans-
its have recently appeared; one by
Robinson. an<l the other by Mrs. Charlotte Balfour.
Loccan Hi's /..■■ U. Clare, of which there is no
iscana.
The Histoire Abreqie of the Order, in two vols., is.^
< "«»li nines of .Lyons in 1906.
apfel's Handbook 0/ mciscan Orders.
Seraphiquc of Pere Leon.
st.Colet he Poor Clares. 1864. Now
re d' Assist, par Mgr. Ricard. 1895.
man under Monasttcism. Lina Eckenst* in
Histoin ir I'Abbe Bezouard.
I Dames dans la Cite" Lyonnaise. 1896.
Vie de la Mere Marie-Dominique. Bruges. 1873.
St. Clare of Assist. Leopold de Ch£ranc£.
The Princess of Poverty, Evunsvill.-. U.S.A. 1900.
A Cloistered L v, -land. ISA 1909.
Life of Mary \\'ar<i. Hums A Oatea. 1909.
Oth 1 have been given as they occurred.
INDEX
Abstinence, 78, 319
A^nea of A»i«i, 80, 31
Affiles of Bohemia, 41, 189
AJcantarinea, 54
Alensbach, 137
c*, 11, 18, 840
Amiens, 885, 381
Angela Maria, 868
Anger, 147
Annecy, 885
Ant'.nu of HoNMly Ml
Armagh, 238
Assisi, 13,270,317
V 12, 152
Auxonne, 176
Avignon, 887
Baddesley-Clinton, 888
luiivjiiiii.-s.iiitf. n0
Bamberg, 140
Baptista Varan i, 868
Barcelona, 868
Bavaria, 147, 167
Belgium, 10, 12, 897
Bess noon, 176
Berient, 181, 878
Blanche of Savor, 1
Blessing of St Clare, 237
Bohemia, 188
Bnlngas, BM
Boston, 847
Bourbon, Jacques de, 188
Brixin, 146
BfeifMb 8, m, m
Brusyard, 811
Camerino, 868
Canada, 12, 246, 251
Carlow, 239
Cavan, 238
Chapter meetings, 86
Charitas Pirkheuner, 6, 140
Chicago, 848
Citta di Castello, 257
Clare Isabelle Gherzi, 121, 183
Cleveland, 848, 847
Clothing ceremonial, 73
Columbia
Conesptiotiista, 53
Ossssssstna.81
Corbie, 17
Cracow, 866, 869
Cromwell, Secretary, 81 1
CunagtUMi, Bussed, 866
( 'VJTUS, '.»
18
16,21, 37
807
Dtrifahjbm *--
Denney, 806
Divine Office, 85, 175
I>. .ririvlr.«.k. 23'<
Drake, Francis, 814
Dublin, 888, 837
Dunkirk, 815, 818
Dusseldorf, 150, 847, 249
r, 18
Election of Abbeae, 58, 98
EUae,Fra,34
Enclosure, 90
England, 11, 18, 31, 196
Ermentrude of Bruges, 864
Eustochia of CaUfato, 868
Evansville, 846
Favorino, Count, 17
Felicia Had* of Milan, 861
Fi'irvtu, \>'.*, Ba\ M
France, 10, 18, 171, 868
Francis de Borgia, 899
Francis de Sales, 889
Francis Xavier, 898
Frederick II, 39
French Revolution, 194, 869, 867
Oalway, 834
Geneva, 284
Germany, 12, 135
U\
332
INDEX
Ghent, 186, 186, 193
Gratz, 166
Gravelines, 214, 216
Gubbio, 115
Hailbrunn, 139
Heidelberg, 184
Helen of Padua, 258
Henri de la Ban me, 173, 182
Henry VIII (letter), 191
Herriea, Lady, 226
Hesdin, 184
Holland, 12, 151, 215
Holzapfel, 9
Hymns, 312
Illness, 61, 107
Imrie, Miss, 228
Innocent IV, 54
Ireland, 11, 232
Isabelle de Bourbon, 182
Isabelle of France, 267
Italy, 12, 271, 317
Jacopone da Todi. 45, 303
Jeanne Marie de la Croix, 268
Joan of Arc, 180
Joseph of Madrid, 300
Judenberg, 152
Juniper, Brother, 51
Kenmare, 238
Legh, Dr., 209
Leo, Brother, 35, 50
Letters of St. Clare, 130, 294
Letters of St. Colette, 182, 186
Liberton, 231
Lille, 287
Lisbon, 301
Liverpool, 228
Loccatelli, 45, 329
London, 198, 224
Longa, Marie Laurentia, 53, 283
Longchanipa, 266
Louise of Savoy, 267
Lourdes, 251, 291
Luther, 141, 284
Lutterworth, 231
Lynton, 230
Lyons, 288
Madame Louise, 193
Madrid, 299
Magdalene Martinengo, 260
Manchester, 225, 239
Mantua, 263
Margaret Colonna, 259
Marie Anne Caroline, 147
Marie-Dominic Berlamonte, 222,
297
Mark of Lisbon, 301
Marseilles, 272, 319
Martyrs, 269
Mary of Agreda, 268
Mary Veronica (Von Elmendorff),
248
Matthia, Blessed, 259
Maxims of St. Clare, 327
Mexico, 12, 301
Minories, 196
Monticelli, 29
Munich, 139
Nantes, 230
Naples, 53, 282
New Orleans, 246, 254
Newport, 216
Newry, 238
Norcia, 277
Norfolk, Duchess of, 228
Notting Hill, 224, 228
Novices, 65, 71
Nuremberg, 138, 140
Obedience, 55, 257
Omaha, 242, 246
Orbe, 267
Ortolana, 13, 14
Padua, 258
Palestine, 9, 282
Palestrina, 259
Paray-le-Monial, 275
Paula of Montaldo, 263
Pembroke, Lady, 205
Penances, 62, HI
Peru, 12
Perugia, 47, 115
Pfillingen, 137
Philippa de Gueldres, 184
Philippa de Mareria, 258
Piccarda, 308
Pirkheimer, Wilibald, 141
Poligny, 177, 194
Pont-a-Moupson, 184
Portiuncula, 19, 34
Portugal, 301
INDEX
838
Poverty, 50. 60, 104, 301
Prague, 41, 129
Princesses, 1, 129, 148, 299
Privilt-tfiuui PanpwtatM, 37
Rennes, 229
:
Ricard, Mgr., 10, 887
, 241, 859, 879
Koueu, 880
RufinoScili, 16
Rule of St. Clare, 53
itherine of Bologna, 855
ancis, 16, 313
G»;. 171 312
St. Veronica Juliana, 257
•saed, 865
San Cosimato, 379
San Severinu, 275
Santafiora, 276
Sam -en*, M
Scorton Hall, 219, 221, 270
Scotland, 231
Sefflingen, 135
Seraphine Sforza, 361
Seurre, 178
Sevill.
icheaaof, 276
Silence, 59, 102, 868
■ Song of the Creature*," 33
Spain, 11, 12. 27. 233, 868, 898
euluiu Perfectionis," 34
Spello, 23, 26
44 Stabat Mater," 303
Stigmata, 30, I
Testament of St Clare, I
Thomas of Celano, 14, 27, 310
Titulo Paupertatia, 28
Tomb of St Clare, 273
Tmirnai, 193
Ogolino, Cardinal, 89, 35, 53,
United Statu, 11, 840
UnuUnes, 819
Valance, 893
VdkML m
Vanghan, Clara, 381
Vrnezu. la. 273
Verona, 883
Vienna, 157, 168
ViaUetioo of OonrenU, 1 18
Wadding, 27, 53, 859
Ward, Mary, 160, 814
Warner, Lady, 817
Waterbeach, 803
William of Caeale, 9, 66, 181,
in
Work, 61, 109
Volande, Bleated, 865
York, 826
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